Ajin
by superbob55
Summary: It turns out that immortality isn't all that it's cracked up to be, leading to a pretty rocky start for one Jaune Arc. Jaune sees a curse. Everyone else sees potential. Jaune just hoped that he'd stop having to see his insides by the time this was all over. Bits of gore. Ye be warned!
1. Rescue?

**Hey everyone! This is my first attempt at writing out a fanfiction, so please review and give tips!**

 **I generally don't like Jaune "superpowered" because I really like the base character's struggle of "OH SHIT EVERYONE IS AWESOME EXCEPT ME" and his struggle to catch up and stand with them. This little plot bunny was rolling around in my head for awhile and I decided to go for it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or any of the characters. Nor do I own Ajin.**

* * *

This would be the four thousandth, five hundred and fifty sixth time that Jaune had woken up and seen nothing but darkness. Best he could tell, his face was covered with bandages, and his body was bound similarly and strapped to a cold metal table. This was the start of his daily routine. First he woke up to bandages that were a little too tight, and a table that was a little too cold for his liking. Then came the same voice saying the same words Jaune heard every morning.

"Subject Ajin is prepped, machines are hooked up and vital signs are consistent with previous readings… Preparing daily examination."

Jaune didn't know how things had come to this. He remembered going out with his family to celebrate... something... He wasn't sure of what anymore. He remembered his family. His father and his mother struggling with a squirming blonde girl, ice cream covering her face. He remembered the rest of his sisters laughing, chatting, and offering kind words to the youngest one and her lost frozen treat.

Then a sudden shriek, loud yells, something was happening, someone was… fighting?

Then heat, pain, yelling, and a piercing scream from his mother screaming out his name.

" _Jaune!"_

And then darkness. That first time waking up was the worst, an intro to this perpetual hell. Every day since then had been the exact same thing.

"Subject Ajin has been displaying decreased reaction to standard procedures, indicating either a loss of sensation to such stimuli."

Stimuli? Is that what they were calling getting stabbed by a scalpel?! Scalpels that were also much colder than Jaune would have liked.

"Beginning daily harvesting."

As was routine, Jaune let out an inward sigh. First was the harvesting of his organs.. The butchers had become skilled with practice, operating with a brutal efficiency. Jaune couldn't tell what they took, Jaune just knew that they always saved his heart for last. By then, there was barely any blood left in his body for his heart to pump anyways.

"Procedure complete. Moving daily harvest to appropriate containers. Make sure not to drop this liver, alright Violet?"

This was the least painful death in his daily routine. They just let him there to just… die. To just bleed out on the table. As Jaune felt himself growing colder and colder, he couldn't help but think that as of late the voice had sounded bored. As if slicing into a living human being had become mundane. Maybe it had?

At least Jaune thought he was still a human. Most humans wouldn't be able to survive what Jaune was being put through. Then again Jaune didn't even know how he was surviving. He didn't know if it was him, or the sick bastards who were cutting him up like a roast turkey, either way Jaune did not die. He could not die. And as such he had to live through this hell every day.

As Jaune once more felt the sweet sweet embrace of death, he thought he felt a low rumble and panicked screaming. Something about a leg?

' _Well that's certainly new…'_

* * *

"AAAGH. MY LEG"

Qrow threw the recently crippled nameless grunt to the floor as he brushed his hands off.

Qrow Branwen had seen a lot of things to make him a drunk. Today he had officially upgraded into pissed-off angry drunk who was about open up a whole can of whoop-ass on the Atlas security bots that guarded this sorry excuse of a place. Apparently Ironwood had let slip something troubling to Ozpin, who let slip something to Qrow, which ended with Qrow trying to sneak into a high-tech military facility. A high-tech military facility considered a blacker than black ops facility whose existence the Atlas government would staunchly deny.

Sneaking into a high-tech military facility had quickly turned into destroying a high-tech military facility with his bare hands. Well his bare hands and a nifty amount of explosives that he had stolen from the supply closet.

Qrow hadn't planned on turning the whole place into a giant fireball, he had just planned to go in then out with none the wiser. Maybe he would have taken a few pictures on his scroll, stolen a few documents, see what the night had in store for him.

Instead he had seen a body covered in bandages and soaked in blood, it's chest cavity torn open and still weakly rising up and down with dying breaths.

Qrow had seen a lot of things in his life. He had also done a lot of horrible things. But the things they had done to that body was… an abomination. That was really the only way Qrow could describe it.

He had seen the first incision and the blood welling up. He saw them tear out its organs with a flippant disregard to the sanctity of life. Qrow could have sworn he even saw one of the lab monkeys carve his initials into the soon-to-be corpse as some sort of sick joke.

It had taken him less than a second to blow his cover, slamming the closest unfortunate soul into the wall. He then proceeded to turn the target of his ire into a bludgeoning instrument, smacking around anyone foolish enough to approach him while he wielded his meaty flail.

Eventually he had to switch over to his sword, which while being large was not compensating for anything despite what one Glynda Goodwitch might claim.

Either way, the lab was soon the home of a lot of broken machinery, a few broken bones, and several newly soiled pants by the scientists passed out in the operating room. In Qrow's defense, he hadn't done anything to them. They had just passed out. Wimps.

He really needed a drink, and Qrow wished he had remembered to refill his flask. He somberly approached the body on the table..

"A… jin?" Qrow wondered as he read out the words printed on the bandages covering the body's face.

Qrow's face scrunched up in concentration. Something was wrong. Shouldn't this body have it's chest cavity ripped open? Had someone switched the body while Qrow was rampaging? Had -

"SWEET BABY MONTY" Qrow yelled as he jumped back, his sword up and ready.

The apparently not dead body had turned its head and looked directly at Qrow.

* * *

Jaune realized something was different about today. Or tonight. Truthfully Jaune had no idea in hell what time it was anymore. Dying tended to do that to one's sense of time.

Either way, the smell of burning wires, what appeared to be urine, and the distinct lack of anyone trying to cut Jaune up told him something was different about today. It's either that or his torturers had gotten very creative.

"A… jin?"

Consider Jaune's curiosity piqued. That was a different voice than usual. The same voice yelled out as Jaune turned his head to face the unknown voice.

' _Huh… that's also new. Haven't had a screamer in a while.'_

Most of the so-called researchers that Jaune 'met' weren't really that easily startled, or were so inclined to screaming. Jaune felt a bare glimmer of hope beginning to well up as he also prepared to squash such feelings. It was after the two thousandth or so "wake up" that Jaune had stopped hoping.

He had hoped his family would find him. That someone had been looking for him and would finally rescue him. That hope had slowly and slowly faded away.

But today? Jaune had a good feeling, This was possibly influenced by how the owner of such a low raspy voice had let out such a high, girly scream. Jaune felt an odd kinship with this unseen stranger.

"Hello? Is anyone there that's not trying to murder me?"

OF course Jaune forgot about the bandages, his voice coming out as, "Mmmm? Mm mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm?"

Jaune hoped he got the message.

* * *

Qrow looked at the body suspiciously. After it had turned it's head to face him, it had started to make a bunch of muffled noises. Qrow noted that it sounded like the body was trying to talk to a cursory glance over the body, Qrow noted that it was male, lanky, and oddly calm about the whole situation.

"I could have sworn it was dead." Qrow whispered to himself as he slowly inched closer.

The muffled noises coming from the body increased in intensity as the body appeared to try and get out of the straps binding it. Maybe Qrow had somehow offended it?

"Wait. Oh god. I hope this isn't one of those stupid zombie movies that the girls like to watch. God help these idiots if they created a zombie apocalypse."

The muffled noises once more increased in intensity. The mummy had definitely taken offense to that. Or was agreeing. Qrow wasn't entirely sure.

Qrow was now in arms-length of the bandaged body. The muffled noises had stopped, as if the body could sense Qrow's trepidation. Overcoming his fear of potentially becoming bitten and turning into a zombie, Qrow grabbed a scalpel from the operating table nearby. He slowly worked the scalpel on the bandages wrapping its head.

Qrow's work was swift, revealing a youthful face and bright blue eyes that stared into Qrow's. His head was recently shaved, but Qrow noted the blonde stubble already growing on his head.

' _He can't be any older than Yang…'_

Qrow's fist tightened on the haft of his sword. The… Ajin barely noticed the tension running in Qrow's body, either through ignorance or confidence.

While the person in front of him didn't look the least bit dangerous, Qrow had been in enough situations to know never to let your guard down. Especially to possibly experimental military weapons that would necessitate all the secrecy and guards.

The man, really more a boy seeing he was probably still in his teens, experimentally moved his mouth around, as if checking to see if it still worked. Apparently satisfied that everything was more or less still intact, the boy looked around a little bit, taking in the sight of destruction around him.

Finally his eyes settled on Qrow, who had stayed silent while the boy took a second to adjust to his surroundings. Qrow tensed up even more as he matched eyes with the boy, dark red staring back into a bright blue.

Jaune didn't know what to expect when he finally saw something aside from bandages. He was pretty sure it would never be fire and destruction. He would have been lying though if it wasn't extreeeeeeemely satisfying.

He quickly noticed the man standing next to him, standing at the ready with a sword that definitely wasn't overcompensating for something.

' _Dangerous'_ was the only thing that came to Jaune's mind as he looked at the man in front of him up and down.

Dark hair, stubble on his chin, and standing tall and confidently, the man in front of him cut an imposing figure. Especially considering the scene of destruction behind him.

' _Although I guess "savior" would also be appropriate.'_ Jaune thought as he realized that the man had also cut him free from his bindings. It was around then that Jaune realized how long the silence had gone.

' _Oh god. It's gotten awkward. Dammit Jaune! This is going to be your first conversation in who knows how long that wasn't with yourself!_

 _Okay. You can do this. Just. Act. Naturally'_

" Hi there! The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it. "

' _SHIT'_

"Do they?" Qrow asked as Jaune effectively "lamed" his way out of any tension Qrow had about being in front of "Subject Ajin".

' _Just roll with it'_

"I uh… Don't know. I don't think I've seen a lady in… What day is it?"

"Tuesday"

"Two years, thirteen weeks, and 5 days."

"Oh... " Qrow gaped as the boy slid his legs off the table and moved to stand up.

"Yeah, it's been awhile. I could be off by a few - WHOA" Jaune yelped as his legs buckled underneath him the moment that he tried to stand. Luckily Qrow was close enough and fast enough to grab Jaune before he completely fell to the floor.

"Oh geeze! I've forgotten how to walk! Wait no… give me a second." Jaune's legs felt like jelly as he slowly tried to put weight back on them. The shaking quickly stopped though as Jaune soon found his equilibrium.

"Huh, I would have thought your legs had atrophied if you were here for two years." Qrow said as he slowly let Jaune go before moving back once he was satisfied Jaune wouldn't collapse again.

Jaune was fairly certain they should have too, but for now he was just glad that he was walking around. He took a few tentative steps, before he nodded to himself and began to walk a bit more confidently. He walked in a few circles, noting the bemused glances his companion was sending his way.

He turned back to look at Qrow.

"So Mr…"

"Oh sorry. Forgot. The name's Qrow Branwen. No idea whether ladies like my name but I'd like to think so."

Jaune threw his best impression of a winning smile at Qrow. "You know that's the first joke that I've heard in ages?"

Jaune could already tell that he liked Qrow. Then again Qrow was the first person that he had actually seen and interacted with in over 2 years. Well the first person that hadn't tried to cut him up. Yet.

"Anyways… I don't suppose you know how to get out of here do you?"

Qrow found himself returning Jaune's smile for a brief second before a frown found its way back onto his face.

"Not so fast kid. I'm all for getting out of creepy places as much as the next guy, but I'm not letting you step a foot aside this place until you tell me what the hell you were doing here."

Qrow didn't like that he had to suspect the kid, but if you were in the business as long as he was you learned to always be cautious with the unknown.

"Well… I guess it'd be easier to show you." Jaune said as he adopted a thoughtful expression on his face. He began to look around for something.

"Uhm, I guess if that helps…" Qrow leaned back on the metal table that Jaune had just vacated. He kept a firm grip on his sword, eyes never leaving Jaune's body as the boy continued looking around.

Finally Jaune's eyes lit up, finding some unknown answer in the surrounding wreckage.. His wanderings had finally led him to some sort of pile of robots. Jaune had a hunch that Qrow was responsible for this disorganized pile. Jaune rifled through the rubble before his hand finally pulled away a pistol in relatively good condition.

"Okay this should do i-" Jaune's mouth clicked shut as he turned around, Qrow's blade hovering over his throat.

"Put. the gun. DOWN" Qrow said tersely, as Jaune stared impassively at Qrow.

Jaune reached up a finger and ran a finger along the edge. Jaune whistled appreciatively as even with such a light touch the blade easily drew blood.

"Wow. Nice sword. Thanks for the assist, but bleeding to death would probably take too long . This way's faster."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Qrow said as he kept a wary eye on the pistol Jaune was slowly raising up. The muzzle wasn't pointed towards Qrow just yet but the moment it did he would cut Jaune down.

It wasn't anything personal, Qrow just preferred not to be shot.

Qrow's eyes slowly widened as he saw the gun's final destination.

"You wanted to know why they were keeping me here." Jaune said with a shrug, as the cold metal rested against his temple.

"Wai-" Qrow tried to reach forward and grab the gun but Jaune's finger had already squeezed the trigger.

 ***BANG***

Qrow jerked back as a mist of blood burst from Jaune's head. Brain matter and blood covering the ground as Jaune's body fell limply to the ground.

Qrow lowered his sword letting out a sigh, his mouth closed in a grimace. It looked like today was a bust. He hated to see someone so young just off themselves like that.

"Gah!"

His sword quickly came back up, as he darted backwards, slack jawed as he watched what was happening in front of him.

Jaune stood back up from his prone position on the ground, no trace of a hole in his shaved head but blood and brain matter still covered the ground next to him, but other then that there was no evidence of Jaune's suicide.

Jaune's azure eyes stared back into Qrow's, as Qrow faced the unknown.

" **That** is why they were keeping me here… Can we go now?"

…

…

"And do you have any pants?"

* * *

 **This story was kind of inspired by the Ajin manga, would recommend if you haven't read it yet. Any ways, I'll try and update soon. Soonish. Probably.**

 **See y'all next time!**


	2. Escape?

**A/N: Hello again! Don't expect updates to be THIS frequent. I just had a day of work where I couldn't force myself to do anything productive. So I did this instead!**

 **Woo!**

 **Also thanks to Jaune Black Smudge for pointing out my error on Qrow's eyes.**

 **This'll probably be the general length of most chapters as well. The bad news is that it's semi short. The good news is that means more updates! Probably.**

* * *

It turns out that Qrow did not have a spare set of pants. And Jaune refused to be running around in nothing but bandages. He just felt so… exposed… Which is why Qrow had been made to just stand around as Jaune looked for a pair of pants that hadn't been soiled by its previous occupant.

"Look, we need to move kid! We needed to move fifteen minutes ago!" Qrow growled at Jaune as he became increasingly jittery.

"And you're not the one running around in nothing but bandages! Besides what's the ru-"

 ***HOOOOOOOONK* *HOOOOOOOOOOONK* "SUBJECT AJIN HAS ESCAPED. ALL AVAILABLE UNITS REPORT TO THE LAB" *HOOOOOOOOOOONK***

Qrow didn't have the words to adequately describe his frustration. Instead he simply raised his hands into the air and gestured angrily at the flashing lights and wailing sirens. Jaune got the message. _That_ was the rush.

Jaune frowned and let out a sigh. He had been so close to finding a pair of pants too.

"Ugh fine. Let's just get out of here." Jaune said as he picked up his pistol.

" 'Ugh fine'? What are you, a teenage girl? And do you even know how to use that?" Qrow said as he gestured at the pistol while turning to run away from the sound of approaching footsteps.

Jaune in fact did not know much about shooting a gun. He doubted he'd be able to hit anything aside from himself. That had never stopped Jaune before though.

"Point and click right?" Jaune said with a shrug as he struggled to keep pace with Qrow.

Qrow just sighed as he fought against the urge to run faster despite Jaune's struggles. Jaune was _so slow_! He knew the kid had just relearned to walk a short while ago but they _were_ being chased by an entire secret base worth of soldiers.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Qrow and Jaune rounded a corner only to come face to face with two equally surprised guards.

Qrow lashed out before the two of them could even raise their weapons. His sword slammed into the mid section of one guard as his leg shot out and kicked the other into the wall. The guard's back slammed into the wall, leaving a dent in the metal wall.

Qrow focused his attention on the unfortunate soul that had taken a gutful of his sword. It looked like the man's armor and aura had managed to stop the blade, but not with taking the wind out of him.

Capitalizing on his folded position, Qrow grabbed the now defenseless man by the back of his head with his free hand. Qrow drove his fist downwards, slamming the poor goon face first into the ground.

 ***BANG***

Qrow started as he heard the bang of a gun, wondering for a brief moment if another guard had somehow managed to get the drop on him. Looking behind him however, he saw the smoking gun in Jaune's hand pointed at the now very dead guard that had been kicked into the wall.

Jaune for his part looked very nonplussed despite having just ending someone's life. Noticing Qrow staring at him, Jaune waved his gun in greeting at Qrow.

Qrow frowned, but he still turned to continue running. He was beginning to think that helping Jaune might have been a mistake. The boy had just killed someone in cold blood and hadn't so much as blinked. He was still just a kid! Albeit a kid who had taken a gunshot to the head and walked out of it asking about pants but still just a kid.

Qrow squashed his feelings of doubt. That was the whole reason he was in this mess after all. A dangerous immortal in the hands of a sketchy government lab? Qrow certainly didn't like that idea and he knew that Ozpin wouldn't either.

"GAH!"

An _apparently_ dangerous immortal who was impossibly clumsy, Qrow amended as he heard Jaune trip and fall over nothing before picking himself back up and sprinting to catch up to Qrow.

* * *

Qrow was strong. Ridiculously strong. Jaune hadn't even seen him move while he was taking care of the guards, only catching tail end of each blow that Qrow threw.

Qrow kept on looking at him funny though and whatever reason, the constant glances were making Jaune feel a little nervous. Jaune didn't know anything about Qrow, nor his motivations. He didn't know why Qrow was here, or why he was rescuing him. All he knew that Qrow was helping him out.

Watching one of the guards sail into the wall, Jaune pointed his gun at the guard and did his best to aim. He needed to help somehow right?

Jaune fired off the shot and watched as the guard's brain matter and blood coated the back wall. Jaune was mildly pleased that finally someone else was getting shot in the head.

He was also slightly displeased however, as he had been aiming at the guy's leg. Maybe it wasn't as simple as pointing and shooting…

His pleased expression turned into a frown as he noticed that Qrow was staring at him again.

Unsure how to react, Jaune awkwardly waved his gun in greeting at Qrow as he did his best to put up what he thought was a confident grin. Seeming to take the hint, Qrow turned and continued down the hallway.

It was back to running, and Jaune's legs quickly began to burn again. Jaune didn't mind the burning sensation. He actually quite liked it. It was nice to feel something else aside from the cold and the steel of the lab.

"GAH!"

Jaune amended that thought as he somehow tripped on his own feet. Running sucked and he'd be glad when he could stop. Picking himself back up, Jaune noted that Qrow hadn't even bothered to stop!

Doing his best to catch up, Jaune noted that they were finally coming upon a room instead of just more hallways. ' _Finally! An end to the running!'_

As Jaune came into the room, he quickly wished they were still running. They had arrived in a loading bay of some sort, and standing in front of Jaune was the BIGGEST robot that he had ever seen.

The thing was a dull grey, standing on two mammoth sized legs, with veritable stockpile of weaponry on its two arms.

Glancing down at his now measly-looking pistol, Jaune was beginning to wish he had managed to find some brown pants.

"REPORT BACK TO YOUR CELL SUBJECT AJIN," blared a loudspeaker somewhere on the robot's body.

His what?

"You never gave me a cell! All I got was some stupid table!" Jaune yelled back, indignation present in his voice and on his face. He could see Qrow looking over at him like Jaune had gone insane. Then again maybe he had?

"I WILL NOT REPEAT MYSELF AGAIN AJIN. REPORT BACK TO YOUR CELL."

"And I won't repeat _myself_ again. You. never. gave. me. a. cell!"

Jaune stomped his foot on each word for emphasis. Granted he wouldn't have gone back to his cell even if he did have one. But it was the principle of the thing!

All of the sudden Jaune's world was on fire, a bright flash consuming everything in his field of view. It ended with Jaune on his butt, trying to blink away the spots in his eyes.

"Well that was rude. Gah! My leg!" Jaune let out a little yelp as he looked down. instead of seeing two skinny but healthy legs, he saw one lightly seared leg and Righty had been turned into a bleeding stump.

Jaune looked dumbly at his newly made stump, arterial spray spurting blood onto the ground in front of him in a macabre display.

He looked at the robot, his eyes narrowing in anger. No one messed with Righty like that!

"You. dick." Jaune bit out each word as he glared at the newly named Dick Robot. He might not have been able to physically harm the robot, but at least he could call it mean names and maybe try and hurt its feelings.

Jaune gulped as he noticed that all of the sudden he was looking down the barrel of several large guns.

Jaune half rolled and half crawled behind some conveniently placed crates, as Mr. Dick-bot-o once more fired upon his position, this time unleashing a full barrage of what looked like glowing plasma upon his position.

"Qrow! A little bit of help here?!" Jaune yelled out as he looked to where he last saw Qrow. There was no sign of Qrow however, and the giant metal phallus that was the robot who shot off his leg turned its full ire upon Jaune's cover.

"That bastard left me here! Dicks! Everyone here is a dick! The dicks with knives! The dicks with giant swords! The dicks with giant robots! All DICKS"

All of a sudden, from behind Jaune's cover he heard the sound of shearing metal, and the barrage upon his poor crate abruptly stopped. Deciding to take advantage of the brief lull, Jaune raised his pistol to his head and pulled the trigger.

One quick death later and Jaune was staring at five brand new toes wiggling in the air. Noticing that things still weren't exploding Jaune peeked around the corner of his shelter.

Qrow stood, there, leaning on a giant scythe of all things, with a smug grin on his face. Jaune had no idea where Qrow had pulled the scythe from, and honestly he was a bit too afraid to ask. The robot had been torn into a pile of scrap metal and was lying in a heap behind Qrow.

"So… Who's a dick?" Qrow said as Jaune approached, keeping a wary eye on the scythe.

"Oh. aheheh…. You heard that did you?" Jaune said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yep", Qrow said with a pop of his lips, as he hefted his scythe and with sudden jerky movements it folded back in upon itself. Soon Jaune was left facing a familiar sword.

"Sorry about that… So… your sword turns into a scythe huh?"

"Yep."

"Oh cool…" Jaune said as his voice trailed off.

"So your leg grew back huh?" Qrow asked as he looked at Jaune's leg which had somehow replaced itself.

Qrow hadn't paid Jaune too much attention once the action had started, but he had definitely seen a bloody stump. In fact Qrow could still some of Jaune's blood on the floor.

"Yep."

"Oh… Cool." Qrow also found his voice trailing off. This kid was more awkward than Ruby!

"So…" Qrow nodded his head towards a door at the back of the loading area. "You want to get out of here?"

"Yep" Jaune said as he made his way to the door, Qrow following behind.

"Oh that's right! Quick question Qrow." Jaune said, as they drew nearer to the door.

"Shoot kid."

"I can't remember, but I'm the only one who does the whole not-dying thing right?"

Qrow didn't even blink, keeping his gaze towards the door.

"Yep."

"Oh… so that guy I shot earlier. He's really…"

"Yep."

"And he's not-"

"Yep."

"So I actually k-"

"Yep."

"Oh…"

They had finally reached the door and Jaune's hand rested on the handle. A pensive look on his face.

"Does that make me a murderer?" Jaune asked as he looked back at Qrow.

Qrow couldn't help but show the boy a soft smile.

"Meh, probably not. We'll say self defense."

"So I'm not going to end up in jail?"

"Not today at least."

Jaune shrugged. " I can live with that," he said as he finally pushed open the door and stepped out towards freedom.

* * *

Moral conundrums regarding the the mortality of man aside, Jaune was beginning to regret not having found a pair of pants before he and Qrow left the base.

In Jaune's defense, he had no idea that the place he had been held so long was stuck in the middle of the frozen tundra. It also didn't help that it was currently the middle of the night. From the looks of the pitying glances that Qrow kept on throwing his way, it looked like Qrow had also momentarily forgotten.

At least Jaune had managed to wheedle Qrow out of one of his socks. Not only had Dick-timus Prime shot off his leg, but he had also shot off the bandages covering his leg. That meant when he had grown his leg back, there were no bandages to cover it.

With his foot at least covered, Jaune was having a slightly better time of it. Only slightly however.

Despite the addition of a new sock, Jaune's traveling speed wasn't quite up to Qrow's standards.

Qrow had finally become sick of the pace that Jaune was moving, and had thrown him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Jaune had no choice but to swallow his pride at being carried, and glad that the only person that saw the two was the occasional owl.

Once Jaune had gotten over the initial blow to his pride however, he found himself alone with his thoughts. Jaune had managed to keep himself from going crazy in the lab with a steady inner monologue of snide jokes, wordplay, and the occasional pun.

Now that he was free though he found himself at a loss for words.

The full moon rising high in the sky along with twinkling stars that surrounded it, the mountains rising in the distance, the lush green forests surrounding him and Qrow, and the brisk night air that Jaune could finally feel on his face after so long.

The thing that hit his senses the most though was the smell. The smell of nature instead of disinfectant had been such a shock to his systems that Jaune almost cried.

Jaune hadn't thought about being outside in so long that he had briefly forgotten what it was like. And now that he was finally free and outside...

"Wow…" Jaune said, a small bit of awe in his voice..

"Well I'm glad someone's having fun," Qrow huffed as he shifted Jaune to a slightly more comfortable position on his shoulder.

"I had almost forgotten what it was like to… you know… just be outside...," Jaune said with a wistful tone of voice as he looked at the quickly fading background as Qrow continued to set an inhuman pace.

The two of them fell into silence, as Qrow decided to pick up the pace even more. The more distance between them and that messed up place the better.

Jaune didn't mind. He could spend forever looking at this view. Except for that weird feeling in his stomach that wouldn't go away… Jaune's face grew green as the feeling didn't go away, but instead became worse.

"Wait… Oh god… put me down…*Hurp*"

Qrow paled as he heard those words. "No no no no no no no. You are not going to barf on me after I just rescued you!"

All Qrow heard was Jaune's continued retching as the boy struggled to hold it in.

Qrow needed to make a decision quick. Would he take the risk and let the boy barf, hoping that he was running quickly enough that the barf wouldn't hit him? Or should he stop and let Jaune do his business far, far away from him?

Qrow's choice was made for him as Jaune lost the battle against his stomach and the retching noises intensified. As Qrow felt the first sensations of something _warm_ landing on his back, he inwardly cursed Ozpin for ever sending him to this place.

"I swear if you do that again Vomit-Boy I will drop you here and you can walk the rest of the way to civilization!"

The only response that he received had been a weak groan from Jaune, that had quickly turned into another round of intense vomiting.

"... I hate you so much Jaune…"


	3. Pants?

**A/N: Hey Everyone! Thanks for all your reviews!**

 **And woo! Over 100 favorites and followers! More people to let down!**

 **I'm also beginning to think everyone really just enjoys Jaune dying XD.**

 **For everyone else don't worry. Jaune will eventually grow into the role he's been given. It'll take time though. Immortal he may be, but genius he is not. It's going to take a lot of training, struggling, and chicanery before Jaune's ready to face the big dogs of the world.**

 **For all you blood thirsty people though, Jaune will probably still end up dying an unhealthy amount :P**

* * *

Ozpin massaged his temples as he sat at his desk, his coffee lying untouched in front of him. Really he should have seen this specific headache coming.

It was supposed to be simple. One General James Ironwood had told him that there were some dangerous murmurs going on about a secret Atlas military installation that even _he_ didn't know about.

Despite Qrow's… drinking habits, the man was still an extremely capable hunter and one of Ozpin's most trusted men. So with a mission like this of possibly high importance and possibly high danger it seemed natural to send Qrow.

That was his first mistake.

Deciding that since Qrow had already undertaken and succeeded at many similar solo missions, Ozpin had let Qrow go on his own.

That was his second mistake.

Ozpin trusted Qrow.

That was his third mistake.

And as a result, Ozpin was stuck with a headache the likes of which hadn't been seen since the last time that Glynda had gotten drunk and had tried to lift the whole of Beacon Academy and turn it into the Flying Beacon Fortress Academy of Glynda.

The cause of said headache was currently standing in front of him, taking a swig of whatever the hell was in his flask.

"So let me get this straight," Ozpin began. "You infiltrated a secret military installation suspected of committing illegal experiments on human subjects. Inside, you found one human subject named Jaune Arc."

Ozpin paused as Qrow nodded in affirmation.

"This Jaune Arc displayed possibly sociopathic tendencies, specifically a disregard towards the sanctity of human life, and also displayed a disconcerting ability to survive things any mortal wound he received."

This time Qrow took a swig of his silver flask before nodding once more.

"And then after blowing your cover and destroying a part of said facility, causing an international incident I might add, you accidentally _lost_ a possibly mentally deranged and definitely immortal teenage boy?!"

This time, Qrow had the decency to look at least a little bit abashed at Ozpin's words.

"Well you see it's a funny story…"

* * *

 **-Two weeks ago-**

Qrow _had_ wanted to hide out in the nearest town, but that plan had quickly been abandoned once he had seen that entire town was literally overflowing with Atlas soldiers. Not of the secret black ops variety that he had been smacking around earlier, but of _actual_ Atlas soldiers.

That did not bode well.

From the looks of it, despite not being an 'official' Atlas base, it was still important enough that the higher-ups were willing to pull in legitimate soldiers for it.

And the cause of all this was currently shivering next to a fire wearing nothing but bandages and one sock.

They had managed to find a habitable cave in the mountains surrounding the village after Qrow had decided not to push his luck fighting an entire battalion of soldiers. The snow-covered peaks had been far enough away, and treacherous enough for the average soldier that Qrow was certain they wouldn't be found.

Jaune had quickly set about starting a fire, grumbling the whole time about a distinct lack of pants.

"I can't even feel my giblets anymore," Jaune grumbled as he briefly contemplated throwing himself into the fire. It's not like it would leave any permanent damage.

"Please stop talking about your giblets Jaune. No one cares," Qrow said as he also sat himself closer to the fire.

"Now I believe after busting you out of there I deserve some answers."

"Shoot," Jaune said as he shrugged at Qrow. Qrow's gaze grew sharp.

"Are you immortal?" Qrow asked, deciding not to beat around the bushes.

Jaune adopted a thoughtful look as he tapped a finger to his chin.

"No idea," Jaune said with a shrug as Qrow frowned.

"Honest! All I know is that whenever I uh… kick the bucket so to speak… I wake up with everything back to where it should be."

"Well it _sounds_ like immortality," Qrow pressed, trying to get a straight answer from Jaune.

"I guess? I can't really explain how it works. I personally thought they might have been the ones to be bringing me back to life all the time. Or at least for a little while."

Jaune shrugged again, apparently unperturbed by the lack of knowledge about his apparent immortality.

"You'd have to ask all those scientist guys you beat up."

Qrow sighed, as he doubted he'd be able to get back into the base. It had been hard enough sneaking into the base in the first place. They had only managed to get out because at that point they were just running as fast as they possibly could. A tactical retreat was one of Qrow's specialties when the going got rough.

Qrow continued to pepper Jaune with various questions about his immortality, with each answer being as equally unhelpful as the first.

By the end of it, Qrow had more questions that he had in the beginning. That and a mild headache.

"So..." Qrow said as he tried to sort out his thoughts a little bit more. "You have no idea if you're actually immortal, you have no idea how things keep on growing back, and you actually are a kid instead of some sort of ageless monster who has been observing Remnant since time immemorial. Do I have that about right?"

Jaune just nodded along sympathetically. If he was in Qrow's position he'd probably be just as frustrated. Truthfully Jaune was kind of frustrated too, but he had more pressing matters to deal with.

Even more important than finally finding a pair of pants.

"I want to find my family," Jaune said seemingly out of the blue. Well out of the blue for Qrow at least. Jaune had been thinking about his family ever since they had finally gotten some down time and he hadn't been puking his guts out.

He didn't know where his family were, if they were looking for him, even if they were still alive. Jaune did not know what sort of twist of fate had landed him strapped to a metal table, but it was certainly not a peaceful one.

For a little while Jaune had even blamed them for not being able to find him. That had started around his fiftieth death. He had been angry at them for so long, thinking that they had abandoned him to his fate. That they were responsible somehow.

That had been so many deaths ago however, and facing one's mortality or lack thereof helped put things in perspective.

In the end, as cliche as it might sound, the memories of his family had helped him through his constant torture. It sounded like something out of a story book, but those memories, while not managing to make the torture any easier to bear, certainly helped with the lonely nights.

It had helped keep him mostly sane instead of totally insane. Probably.

Jaune honestly didn't know what he'd feel when he saw them. The only thing that he did know was that he wanted to see them.

Looking expectantly at Qrow for his answer, his mood quickly soured when he saw Qrow shake his head.

"Sorry, no can do kid. I need to get you to see Ozpin. He'll know what to do with you."

Jaune bristled at Qrow's statement. " 'What to do with me'?! I know exactly what to 'do with me'. Send me home! Let me see my family!"

"I don't like it either Jaune," Qrow said, trying his best to keep his voice calm and level, "but you have to understand. The Atlas military is looking for you! You'd be safer at Beacon under its protection! Ozpin could help you out, figure out what's going on with you."

This time Jaune stood as he spoke back at Qrow, his voice firm and showing a strength that Jaune personally didn't think he had.

"Listen Qrow. I'm really grateful for your help, but I _need_ to let them know that I'm okay. That I'm still alive! My parents are probably devastated, and I've already missed enough of my sister's birthdays. I refuse to miss anymore. "

Jaune took a breath, doing his best to keep his courage up as he talked back to a man who had just picked apart a giant robot.

"I'll go to Beacon, especially if you think it's a good idea. It's the least I could do. But I'm going home first."

Qrow sighed. He understood where Jaune was coming from. He missed his sister and would do anything to see her again. That didn't mean that Jaune was right though. A part of life was putting aside what you wanted in order to make sure things didn't end up on fire.

He did admire the boy for being able to talk back to him though. Even if he did look like new born baby deer with its legs knocking together so hard they might fall off.

"And if they follow you there? If they attack you and your family? What then?"

That shut Jaune up, as the boy looked down at the ground, fists clenched in frustration.

"My dad's a pretty strong huntsman…" Jaune said, but the conviction was gone. Qrow knew he had won. He just needed one more push.

"Strong enough to take on the Atlas military?" Qrow said with a raised eyebrow.

"No…" Jaune said with a defeated sigh. Qrow was right. He couldn't risk putting his family in danger.

Jaune sat back down with a huff, visibly peeved.

"Can I at least give them a call?" Something was better than nothing at least.

"As soon as we get back to Beacon." Qrow said as he pulled out his empty flask and looked at it distastefully.

"Wait. Dammit! You wouldn't happen to know my family's number would you?" Jaune asked as panic settled on his face.

"How do you not know your own families number?! Are you five?!" Qrow couldn't believe it. This guy couldn't be an immortal! He refused to believe it. No one this hopeless could possibly be immortal.

"Well excuuuuuuuse me for not remembering the scroll number for my own house! I was busy being dissected like a giant frog if you forgot!"

Qrow was about to respond with what he hoped was a witty remark, but the words got caught in his throat. Something was wrong. Over the years, Qrow had learned to trust his gut feeling and right now his gut feeling was telling him to turn around.

Apparently for good reason, as Jaune's eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates as he stared at the entrance of their cave.

Slowly turning around, Qrow's red eyes met with glowing red lights staring at him from out of the darkness. The red orbs drew closer as the light of the fire finally illuminated its form.

Big, burly, and covered in bone, the beringel cut an imposing figure with its gargantuan body similar in shape to a gorilla. It walked slowly, crouched over on all fours in some twisted homage to its ape-like visage. It's skull-like face stared balefully at the two inhabiting the cave.

Cursing underneath his breath, Qrow wondered what sort of deity he had done to deserve this. They were stuck inside of a narrow cave, with a beringel blocking the only way out. The tight and confined space left little room for dodging, and getting hit by the Grimm ape was never a good idea.

Qrow slowly stood up and turned around, draw his sword from his back as he did so. The gears in his weapon began to turn as it shifted and extended the sword. There wasn't enough room in here to use his scythe, placing yet another handicap upon Qrow.

The odds were stacked in favor of the Grimm staring him down. As if it needed more help.

All of a sudden a gunshot rang out. The beringel didn't even seem to notice as the bullet seemingly bounced off of its bony pectorals with no effect.

"Well shit…" Qrow heard from behind him as Jaune lowered his increasingly useless pistol.

The entire situation having been summed up in two words, the beringel let out a beastial roar and charged forwards.

Qrow ducked underneath its first powerful swing, letting his sword trail behind him and scoring a deep cut on the beringel's side. Coming out of a roll, Qrow' sword shifted once more , the blade flipping down to reveal a gun barrel.

He fired off several quick shots at the beast's back, hoping to deal some more damage before its next charge.

Qrow needn't have bothered however, for the beringel had quickly focused its maiming efforts on Jaune. It barreled over the fire, sending sparks flying as its powerful arms tried to take Jaune's head off.

Jaune ducked underneath the beast's first swing, before being grabbed by the beringel's other hand. It's fingers managed to wrap around Jaune's rib cage in a crushing grip. Ignoring the sensation of his ribs caving in upon themselves, Jaune raised his pistol one last time as he tried to steady his aim.

The beast raised Jaune up to eye-level as it roared in his face, assaulting Jaune with spittle and halitosis.

The horrific stench firmed Jaune's resolve. Anyone that assaulted his nose like that needed to pay, and at this range Jaune couldn't miss.

Judging from how Jaune's pistol rounds bounced off of everything else, there was one soft and vulnerable target he could aim for. His pistol drew level with the beast's sole glowing red eye and bucked as Jaune drew the trigger.

This time Jaune hit pay dirt as the gorilla Grimm reared back with a roar, it's only eye blinded. Unfortunately that's all it seemed the round managed to do, as the beringel roared again in anger.

Blinded and confused, the ape did what came naturally in this situation. Namely crushing whatever it was holding in its hand.

Unfortunately for Jaune, that meant all of the Grimm's impressive grip strength came to bear upon his weak and fragile meatbag.

Jaune still had many things he wanted to do in life, so many things he wanted to experience. Never did he expect however, that the first living thing to take his breath away was a giant demonic gorilla.

Having literally had his breath squeezed out of him, Jaune felt his ribs give in with nary a bit of resistance. Blood shot out of his mouth as Jaune's insides were crushed and he felt like this time he actually was going to vomit out his insides.

Qrow could only watch in horror as the Grimm treated Jaune like fresh tube of toothpaste. There was no way for him to get past the ape to free Jaune, and by the time he even got close enough the damage was done.

The ape wound up its arm to throw away the used tube of Jaune-paste, as it turned to face Qrow. The beast flung Jaune straight at him, Qrow ducking under the flying bag of squished guts before bringing his sword up in a mighty swing.

Blinded, the beringel's neck was an easy target as Qrow's sword bit into its target. Shadowy muscle gave way to Qrow's steel, digging deep into the beast's neck but going no more. It's thick body managed to stop Qrow's blow before it could be decapitated, and Qrow found himself unable to get his sword out of the beast's deep hide.

Somehow the beast managed to stay alive despite the giant sword lodged in its neck, taking a swing at Qrow with one of its mighty arms. Qrow let out a short curse as he was forced to let go of his sword in order to jump back away from the blow.

Landing on his feet, Qrow settled into a fighting stance and raised his arms up into a guard. Fighting a giant ape with fisticuffs was not exactly ideal for Qrow, but he was sure having to fight with a giant sword in its neck wasn't ideal for it either.

' _Jaune should be back on his feet by now,'_ Qrow thought as he noticed the teenage immortal had not yet joined him in the fight. Say what you would about Jaune, but he wasn't one to just stand around and do nothing. And he was good bait.

"Jaune! Could use some help up here!"

Looking back however, Qrow saw no sign of Jaune. Confusion marred his features he tried to find some sign of Jaune. All he saw was a trail of blood left by Jaune's crushed, flying body.

"Jaune?"

A trail of blood that showed Jaune's body flying right through the cave's entrance and out into the night.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me, " Qrow said as he stared out into the darkness leading to the outside world. Not only had the beringel managed to throw Jaune at him, but it had also miraculously thrown Jaune outside of the cave.

As Qrow got ready to chase after Jaune, the beast behind him roared. Qrow cursed at his lapse in judgement. You should never turn your back to an enemy. He doubted this thing would let him do as he wanted. Which meant that he needed to finish this thing off first.

Qrow readied his fists as stared down the blind beast. The beast sniffed the air in order to track Qrow down. Neither of them were at their best but both had the will to survive.

The beast gave a roar as Qrow darted forward, about to engage in a titanic battle between man and beast.

* * *

"And then-"

"Qrow I don't care about you fighting a beringel with your bare fists," Ozpin interrupted as he continued to massage his temples.

"But I-"

"Yes yes, I'm sure it was quite impressive Qrow, and something to brag about at another time, but can we _please_ focus on what happened to Jaune?"

Qrow pouted as his story was cut short by Ozpin. He really wanted to tell that story! Oh well. He could always tell it at a bar later. Ladies loved stories of wrestling giant Grimm right? At least that's what Port had always told him.

"Ugh fine. Anyways, after I handled the Grimm, I went out to look for him and well…"

"You couldn't find him…" Ozpin sighed as he felt his headache growing in intensity.

Qrow nodded grimly. " I couldn't even find where his body landed. It's like he up and disappeared."

He went for another swig of his flask only to find his hand empty.

"Hey Oz have you seen-"

When Qrow looked up at Ozpin, he saw his precious silver flask in the headmaster's hand. Ozpin himself was taking a looong swig of the flask.

When Ozpin finished he looked at Qrow and said, " I need this. This is mine now."

Qrow just growled as he stalked up to Ozpin and snatched his flask back out of Ozpin's hands. Cradling his precious flask to his chest, Qrow stalked back to where he was standing.

"Either way I have no idea where he is, but if we find his family I'm sure he'll show up eventually."

Ozpin nodded, sighing as he took a folder filled with paper.

"We'll find him. Right now though I need you to find someone else first."

Qrow raised an eyebrow as he took the folder, opening it up to find a picture of a young woman.

"Who's she?" He said as he pointed at the picture. "And how is she more important than a newly discovered immortal being?"

"The Fall Maiden."

Almost dropping the papers in shock, Qrow quickly collected himself as he closed the folder. A serious expression settled over his face as he turned to leave.

"I'll get right on it Oz." He called back as he stepped into the elevator. He wanted to get out there and look for Jaune, but the Fall Maiden took top priority. If her power were to fall into the wrong hands…

Qrow suppressed a shudder as the elevator descended. ' _Sorry Jaune, but I'm sure you'll be fine for a little while.'_

* * *

 **-Fourteen Days Prior-**

Jaune woke to the feeling of flying through the air. For a moment he thought he was in a dream. Then his memories came crashing back. Then the ground came crashing back.

"Gah! Ugh! Ow!" Jaune cried out as he proceed to bounce along the frozen earth. He found sweet relief when the bouncing finally stopped.

Jaune's relief was quickly crushed however as he realized that despite there being a distinct lack of bouncing he wasn't resting on the cold hard ground.

Instead the steady 'whoosh' of cold air was intensifying. Jaune looked up and saw a cliff. A cliff that he had just fallen off of into a ravine.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Jaune's increasingly girly screamed echoed off the cliffs as he plummeted to yet another death.

Eventually a soft *ploop* was from the bottom of the ravine, as Jaune fell into deep river at its bottom.

It is hard to say what actually killed Jaune this time. The falling, the impact, or the subsequent drowning. It all blurred together for Jaune as everything turned to darkness and he entered the sweet embrace of death. Again.

* * *

Qrow nodded to himself as the elevator finally stopped.

"Yep! I'm sure he's fine."


	4. Pants!

**A/N: Hey everybody! Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoy this chapter ('** ⏝ **'** **)-b**

* * *

Clover thought it was going to be a beautiful day. The sun had finally peeked out of the clouds and its warmth was beginning to drive away the chill of the previous night. She did a little twirl in place, careful not to spill the bundle of firewood she was cradling in her arms.

Yep. Today was looking to be a good day. The sun was shining, the stream was babbling, the snow was giving satisfying crunches beneath her feet, and there was a body floating down the stream.

Clover paused, going slack-jawed as she stared at the body peacefully bobbing up and down in the water, the current carrying it further away.

"Wha…" Clover said as she continued watching the body float by, eventually slipping past her.

Her mouth abruptly clicked shut as she dropped the firewood in her arms, her mind finally catching up with what she was seeing.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Clover called out as she chased after the body in the water.

And it had been such a nice day too…

* * *

Jaune woke to an unfamiliar sensation. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling. Quite the opposite actually. For the first time in a long time, Jaune Arc was _warm_.

He almost cried. Almost.

A thick quilt covered him in its warmth. It was not a high-quality quilt, stitched by expert seamstresses and made out of the finest cloth. This was a simple, cheap, hand-woven quilt out of leftover rags and thread.

It was _heavenly_.

For a brief moment, Jaune thought he had finally died, and had somehow found his way into heaven. Common sense prevailed in the end however, as he heard the pitter patter of footsteps approaching his room.

"Ah, you're awake!" a young woman said as she walked in with a fresh pile of clothes.

Jaune almost missed her words, his eyes instantly drawn to the things she was carrying. ' _Pants…'_ Jaune thought longingly as he gazed after his fabric beloved.

He snapped out of his thoughts as he realized the young woman was still talking, briefly embarrassed that he had been distracted by pants of all things!

"Thought you were a goner for a second there! When my dad fished you out of the stream, I could have sworn your heart wasn't beating!"

Jaune let out an uncomfortable cough. ' _It probably wasn't...'_

"My name's Clover by the way, it's nice to meet you!" Clover said with a smile, before placing the pile of clothes onto the bed Jaune was currently resting in.

' _Okay, we're not going to screw this up like last time, right? Keep it simple stupid!'_

"Jaune Arc. Thanks," he said in regards to both the save and the clothes, giving a smile in return.

' _Nailed it!'_ His inner-self fist pumped in victory.

Clover giggled, a sound that Jaune hadn't heard in what felt like years. Then again it may have actually been years for all he knew.

"No problem Jaune, it's not like we could have just left you floating in the water right? Oh! I should probably go get my dad! He'll be glad to know you're awake. I'll be right back!"

Clover turned and walked back outside of the room. Jaune decided to use the chance to look around.

It was all… simple. Old wooden floors scuffed from years of use, plain wooden furniture that Jaune knew was built to last, and a simple bed made of a cheap mattress on a simple wooden frame. There was nothing fancy or out of place. It was a home, put together through years of living. Jaune loved it.

It reminded him of his own home, distant as those memories were.

Jaune's thoughts briefly turned to Qrow, wondering if he was safe, but instantly knowing not to bother worrying about the mysterious man. He was sure Qrow was fine. Granted he had only known the man for less than a day, and … he had smelled suspiciously of booze, but Jaune knew that Qrow was a force to be reckoned with.

No way some stupid giant-gorilla thing was going to take him down.

Jaune sighed as he stretched, settling back into his bed. Him being separated from Qrow certainly complicated things, but anything was preferable to the lab. Nothing was really going to make Jaune start worrying, short of falling into a volcano or finding himself in another torture funhouse.

Footsteps indicated the return of his hosts, prompting Jaune to sit back up in the bed. Clover came back into the room, this time with a man that Jaune assumed was her father.

"Jaune! You certainly gave us a scare there, but it's good to see you up and about! You can call me Verdan!"

Verdan wore a simple cloth tunic, a belt, and brown trousers. His balding head was kept warm by a dark bushy beard, and his face had a twinkle in its eye complimented with a jolly smile.

"Sorry for all the trouble sir,"Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Verdan let out a hearty laugh as he walked up and gave Jaune an even heartier slap on the back.

"Ahaha! Don't mention it boy! And please call me Verdan! What kind of people would we be if we just let you drown?"

Jaune felt the wind getting smacked out of his lungs, letting out a slight wheeze as he tried to catch his breath in order to respond.

"Whatever kind of people you are, thanks for the help. I'll try to get out of your hair as soon as I can."

"You take as long as you need Jaune."

Jaune looked down nervously. "Um… I'm sorry, but I don't know how to repay you both…"

Verdan let out another hearty laugh and smack, leaving Jaune wheezing once again.

"Don't you worry about it Jaune. All you need to do is pull your weight while you're here and we'll call it even. It's just me and Clover here, and I wouldn't say no to an extra set of hands!"

Jaune just smiled at Verdan, the man's jolly grin infectious. It looked like his luck was finally turning around.

* * *

For a few days, it did look like Jaune's luck had turned around. His hosts were kind enough not to pry on why he had been floating face down in a stream, noting that whenever they hedged on the subject Jaune seemed hesitant and pained. Consummate hosts that they were, they let him be and did not press. Everyone had things they'd rather not talk about after all.

He had started helping out around the first day, the least he could for his hosts. The tasks were simple; chopping wood, running to the nearby village to pick up supplies, and helping with the laundry to name a few.

Jaune's personal favorite however was helping Clover with the cooking. It reminded him of cooking with his own mother for his own family. Clover and her father had been on their own for awhile, Clover's mother having passed away when she was young. With her father being absolutely rubbish at cooking, Clover had taken it upon herself to handle the family meals.

And handle them she did. Jaune still remembered that first meal.

* * *

 _Jaune was setting out the bowls and cutlery at a table, Verdan was already sitting at the table reading a book, and Clover was putting the final touches on their meal for the night._

" _All ready!"_

 _Jaune sat expectantly at the table, his excitement barely contained. His first taste of real food in over two years! All the lab had was tubes. Tubes going in… places… Needless to say the thought of finally eating real food was almost enough to make Jaune cry._

 _Clover set a large pot of soup down in the center of the table, a cloth underneath it to prevent any burning. Steam rose from the uncovered pot, its aroma tickling Jaune's nose pleasantly._

 _Clover slowly doled out the portions, enjoying the almost childlike look of glee on Jaune's face. She might have been a bit cruel with her teasing but she couldn't resist! He looked so cute, fidgeting with excitement._

 _She took her time walking over to her seat, noting that Jaune was still had enough self-control to wait until she had seated herself to start eating. Just barely however, as his spoon stood poised at the ready._

 _When Clover sat down, Jaune didn't immediately stab his spoon into the bowl in front of him. Instead he was slow, almost reverently getting some stew in his spoon as he slowly raised it to his face. He didn't notice the amused glances that Clover and Verdan were shooting each other as they watched their guest prepare to take his first bite._

 _Jaune took one last whiff to savor the aroma, before finally indulging himself in that first bite. The spoon went slowly into his mouth, laden with its hearty fare._

 _It was a simple stew, using simple spices and nothing more than potatoes, carrots, and beef. Jaune would forever remember that stew however as the best meal he had ever eaten._

 _He slowly closed his eyes in enjoyment, luxuriously chewing the food in his mouth. The taste of actual ingredients, the visceral joy of biting into the meat and potatoes; it was all too much._

" _Uh… Jaune?"_

 _Jaune opened his eyes to the muffled giggling of his two hosts. He briefly wondered what they were laughing at, before he felt something wet on his cheek. Reaching his free hand up, Jaune brushed his face and wiped away what he realized were tears._

 _His face grew hot as he felt himself blush under their gaze._

" _... ...Can I have the recipe?" Jaune managed to mumble out as his hosts finally couldn't bear it anymore and laughter escaped from their mouths._

 _Jaune let a smile grace his face as he tried to sneak his hand back up to his face to wipe away another tear._

 _It was warm._

* * *

His hosts had not let him live that moment down, but he didn't mind. He had gotten the recipe after all.

The last few days had been full of moments like that, Jaune doing something so simple in their eyes, but still somehow managing to burst into tears. Of course Jaune did not feel any less manly. A man should be comfortable with his feelings after all.

Today was also looking out to be another peaceful day. The three of them were heading to the nearby village to pick up more supplies. The path was a meandering forest trail, surrounded by trees on both sides. A lovely view, especially at this time of year with snow still on the ground.

Jaune thought calling where they were going a village was a bit of a stretch however, more of a hamlet really. There weren't many people, but just like Verdan and Clover's household everyone there was content with their way of life.

The three of had settled into a comfortable pace, kept mostly warm with their jackets. Verdan carried with him his ever present hunting knife strapped to his leg, as well as his trusty shotgun hanging from a strap on his back. The shotgun was well cared for, oiled and polished to a sheen. The lacquered wood and the dark metal had seen many years of use, and only through Verdan's tender care had remained in such good condition.

The village hadn't seen any Grimm in practically ages however, so Verdan and Clover were not especially worried. But It never hurt to be prepared, and Verdan always took his shotgun with him when he walked this path.

Verdan walked in front of Clover and Jaune, the two of them chatting slowly about nonsense and trivial things. The only person who Jaune had available for small talk while he in the lab was himself. It was good to get another perspective on things.

"I'm going to have to disagree with you Clover. Breathing fire would be _way_ better than shooting lasers from your eyes."

Clover rolled her eyes back at Jaune. "Please Jaune, who wouldn't want to shoot lasers. _Lasers!_ What do you think Dad? ...Dad?"

Up in front of them, Verdan had slowed to a stop. He motioned Clover and Jaune to stay quiet as he drew his shotgun in front of him.

Jaune finally noticed what had made Verdan pause. It was quiet. And at a risk of sounding cliche, Jaune thought it sounded _too_ quiet.

Verdan dropped a hand off the shotgun, and slowly undid the strap to his hunting knife. He tossed the sheath and knife at Jaune. Jaune snatched it out of the air, strapping the sheath to his thigh as he drew the knife.

Jaune held the knife awkwardly, unused to its weight but still feeling like it wasn't heavy and long enough for whatever was watching them. Verdan and Jaune made eye contact, an unsaid agreement passing between them.

Whatever was out there was _not_ going to touch Clover.

Jaune knew that Verdan was willing to give his life for his daughter, and while Jaune didn't think that he could do the same he'd still at least try. Immortality be damned.

Clover meanwhile was warily watching the treeline around them, trying to find what was keeping everyone on edge. She reached down to her hip and drew her own hunting knife, a mirror of her father's.

Silence stretched and for a moment Jaune wondered whether they were overreacting to a bit of woodland peace.

Then he saw it.

It was hunched over on all fours, it's dark skin standing in stark contrast to the white snow. Bone of pale white covered its back and head, with multiple sharp and dangerous looking spikes coming out of its back.

' _And it's HUGE'_ Jaune thought as he stared at the giant bear like thing.

"Ursa Major..." Verdan cursed under his breath as he too saw the Grimm. Clover took an unsteady step back as Jaune and her father both moved protectively in front of her.

Noticing that its prey had spotted it, the bear Grimm let out a beastial roar as it burst from the treeline, charging straight towards the trio.

Verdan stepped forward, firing round after round into the charging beast. Chunks of flesh were blown clean off the ursa major, but its rampage was unstopped. It closed the distance closer than the three had thought possible, backhanding at Verdan as it finished its charge.

Verdan barely managed to get his gun up in time, the metal warping as it failed to stop the blow. He flew through the air as Clover called out in fear.

"DAD!" Clover screamed as she ran to his side, somehow forgetting about the incredibly dangerous and pointy beast in front of her.

The Grimm turned to chase after the father and daughter. Jaune clenched his jaw as he jumped after it. There was no way in hell that _thing_ was going to touch them.

Jaune landed on the claw that the ursa major had lifted for Clover's imminent disemboweling. The hunting knife in his hand had been painstakingly honed by Verdan, and its blade cut deep into the creature's paw. Jaune hung on by the knife blade, as the ursa major swung its arm to and fro in an attempt to dislodge the blond nuisance.

Holding on for dear life, Jaune didn't notice the bear Grimm's other arm before it smashed into him. He and his knife were dislodged as Jaune's world went spinning, before he came crashing down into the snow.

Jaune stood up with a wheeze and a slight gurgle, blood already pooling in his mouth. He visibly favored his right side, his left feeling like it would crinkle in moments. The bear had turned away from him and was about to start up after Clover and her father again.

A low growl rumbled in Jaune's throat as he ignored the pain in his side and sprinted back at the bear. Clover saw him running, Her mouth open in horror thinking that Jaune had lost his head and had actually gone crazy.

"You'll have to do better than that you big fur coat!" Jaune yelled as he charged back within reach of the bear's arms.

So it did.

This time when the sentient fur coat swung at him, Jaune raised the knife and his arm in a block. He thought was a good idea, trusting his instincts. It was not a good idea.

The swing snapped Jaune's arm like a twig, and it was only through sheer grit that Jaune managed to hold on to his knife. He was knocked to the side, his arm uselessly flopping in the wind. He didn't even notice the bear's other arm swinging forth and tearing his head off his shoulders.

"JAUNE!" Clover screamed as she watched her new friend this time _literally_ lose his head. She began to sob as Jaune's body began to spurt blood over his would-be killer. The headless corpse fell to its knees, as the ursa major turned away.

Her sobs stopped however as black wisps also began to ooze out of his wounds along with the blood. The black particles surged forth, spreading out tendrils until one of them touched Jaune's head.

"Jaune?" She asked, this time confusion evident on her face and in her voice.

The black particles dragged Jaune's head back to his body, slamming it into place. His arm stopped its useless flopping, instead tightening on its grip on the knife in his hand. Jaune stabbed his knife forward into the side of the ursa major, the blade biting into the hide of the bear.

He grabbed with both hands and ripped the blade to the side, ducking and rolling underneath the bear's swing as it turned back to face him with a roar of pain. Jaune rolled to a standing position to the side of the bear, closer to Clover and her still groggy father.

Clover almost called out Jaune's name again, but his name got caught in her throat as she got a look at his face.

His mouth was curved up into a twisted grin, straining the corners of his mouth and threatening to split his face in two. The manic grin was complimented by an equally insane glint in his eyes.

Jaune knew many things. He knew he was slow. He knew he wasn't strong. He had no skill with the knife in his hands and he really had no place fighting an ursa major. He knew he had to protect Clover and Verdan from the spiky bear thing in front of him.

All that he knew was was inconsequential to how he felt right then. He felt _alive_.

He didn't bother raising the now bloody knife in his hands, slick from both his blood and the ursa major's. He had seen that blocking wouldn't matter much in the face of such an enemy, so why bother?

The path to victory was unclear and for some reason that made Jaune even more excited. It looked like he would have to do the same thing that he had done in math class back home.

Guess and check, and keep on guessing until you finally found the right answer.

Jaune did his best to resist the cackling laugh that threatened to bubble up from his lips. Instead it came out as a demented giggle but Jaune paid it no mind. Jaune charged forward into the breach once more without a care in the world.

All Clover could do was watch.

Jaune charged forward with reckless abandon, that same face-splitting grin locked onto his face, only to be sent flying away by another swing from one of the ursa major's claws. Jaune rolled into a crumpled heap as the Grimm fell upon him, its first paw stamping down upon Jaune's chest.

His chest caved in with nary a bit of resistance as blood flew from his lips, only to be covered as the other paw descended and crushed his skull. The Grimm ground its claw into the ground before letting out a howl, as the black mist coalesced once more. This time reforming Jaune's head and chest cavity where the grimm's claws were currently resting.

Clover watched as the black particles seemed to eat away at the bear's claws as Jaune's body pulled itself back together. The bear flinched away as Jaune finished reforming and Jaune launched himself into the bear's body.

His knife this time bit into the Grimm's belly, the knife not long enough to cut deep enough into it's body but still drawing blood. It's claws tried to pry Jaune away, but Jaune drove closer to the Grimm's belly, slicing away with his knife.

Finally growing tired of the many lacerations on its stomach, the Grimm simply belly-flopped onto Jaune.

"Hrgk" was all Jaune managed to get out before he was crushed underneath it's girth.

The Grimm clambered back up onto all fours and looked at Jaune's twitching and crushed body. It seemingly let out a snort of approval as if to say "good riddance". The snort of approval quickly turned into one of annoyance as it noticed the black particles once more coalescing themselves on Jaune's body.

This time it got up onto it's hind legs and positioned its hindquarters directly over Jaune's head.

Jaune's consciousness came back as he saw the bear's butt descend upon his face.

' _This bear is going to tea bag me to death!'_ Jaune thought as he let out out a yelp that was quickly muffled by the big bear booty.

The bear slammed it's ursine hindquarters over and over into the ground, each hit an insult at Jaune and his way of life. Each time it crushed Jaune however, the black particles still gathered themselves and put Jaune back together.

Finally the particles were fast enough and Jaune rolled out of the way of his next death, ending his roll behind the bear. Jaune didn't give the Grimm a moment's rest as he dove back in close to the bear's body and continued slashing away.

The cycle must have repeated itself over a dozen times. Jaune would slice away at the bear only to be crushed or beheaded, only to rise up once more and repeat the same process.

Each time however, Jaune's slashes would get a little bit more accurate, seeking the more tender and fleshier areas of the bear.

Each time Jaune would last longer and longer between each death, seconds growing into minutes.

Each time the ursa major would grow slower and slower, it's strikes becoming weaker and weaker.

Each time, the bloody painting on the snowy canvas would grow and grow.

Until the final time, the ursa major could no longer raise its limbs. Jaune stood over it, his knife still clenched firmly in his hand.

His clothes were torn and bloody, painted in both his and the bear's blood. He himself was also drenched in blood, almost as red as the snow surrounding them.

Jaune let out a sigh as he finally relaxed, the ursa major in front of him taking its last breath and beginning to dissolve. He sheathed the knife as he turned and smiled at Clover and Verdan. He could see the shock on their faces but he was just glad they were fine.

He started towards them, "Whew! Are you two al-"

He stopped in his tracks as Verdan raised his shotgun and pointed it at Jaune. The warped metal shook as Verdan fought to steady his hands.

"Stay back!" Verdan gasped as Clover grasped him protectively, the two shaking.

Jaune rocked back as if struck, finally noticing that it wasn't shock that was on their faces. It was fear. They _feared_ him.

Jaune took another step back, the pain and anguish evident on his face before being replaced by a sad smile. He should have known this would happen.

"I'm glad you two are alright," Jaune said as he turned away from them and slowly walked away. The same sad smile stayed on his face as he reached up a hand and wiped away a tear cutting a path down his blood covered face.

And so Jaune Arc walked off, with naught for company but his footprints.

That same sad smile stayed on his face however as he continued walking.

At least Clover and Verdan were safe. That was enough for him.

* * *

 **A/N: Poor Jaune :\**

 **Things'll start looking up for him soon though!**

 **As always thanks for reading and please review! Lemme know what y'all think!**


	5. Home?

Jaune had over two years to think about this moment would go. Two years to figure out a good way to do this. Now that the time had come however, he found himself in a bit of a dilemma.

Jaune Arc had finally made it home.

Jaune Arc also had no idea in hell what to do.

That's why despite the sun having set and the cold beginning to settle in, Jaune was still standing on the porch in front of his family door.

It was a simple but large wooden house, built by Jaune's forefathers and having housed generations of Arcs. The Arc family home was located far enough away from others to ensure privacy, but still close enough that the Arcs could make it into town for school and supplies.

It was almost… idyllic, surrounded by a large green yard, spotted with bushes and trees for children to play in and climb on.

It was home, and it had never seemed so intimidating.

The journey was not an easy one, but it was simple enough. Jaune's weeks of travel had consisted of very few things. He would sleep when he was tired. He would scrounge for food when he was hungry, quickly learning what was safe to eat after a few too many poisonings. He would be killed by, and then in return kill said Grimm whenever the situation arose. Most of all however, Jaune walked.

So he walked and fought and ate and slept and walked some more, until finally the path became more familiar. Then he started recognizing places, like the tree he had fallen out of as a kid, or the pond his sisters had pushed him into on the way back from school one day.

And then he was home.

So many doubts plagued his mind as soon as he came close.

Should he have found some new clothes? His current ones were tattered, worn, and covered in dirt and grime. He had long since lost the jacket, a particularly nasty Grimm to blame. His shirt had one too many holes, and his pants were more like a skirt or at best shorts.

Should he have taken a bath? He himself was also tattered, worn, and covered in dirt and grime. He also probably smelled horrific, judging from the various woodland animals that had run away or passed out in shock. His hair was also a mess. It had finally grown back enough that one could easily tell Jaune was a blond, but only after digging under the blood, grime, dirt, and twigs that covered it.

In short he looked like a hobo. A dirty, smelly immortal hobo who was probably about to interrupt a nice family's dinner.

Jaune took a deep breath, steeling himself as he finally raised his hand.

"Oh shush you," Jaune said as his stomach growled at the smell of dinner having finally wafted outside. It was as if his own stomach was telling him "come on already!"

Jaune wasn't going to have that kind of back talk from his own stomach.

Taking one more deep breath, Jaune finally knocked.

 ***Knock* *Knock* *Knock***

Three short raps, just like how Jaune had done countless times before. Jaune resisted the urge to sprint away as he heard light footsteps approach the door.

The door opened and Jaune had to blink as the light from the inside blinded him momentarily. Jaune heard a gasp as a figure stood in the doorway.

Jaune inwardly cringed, he kind of expected this coming. He did look like a hobo. Gasping was definitely a reasonable reaction. He half-expected to be punted off the porch. His family were good kind folk, but opening the door to find a strange man on it was definitely pushing it.

"...J-...Jaune?" a voice spoke as Jaune snapped out of his thoughts. Hope to began to peek its way into Jaune's life as his eyes adjusted enough to see who was talking.

Crystal. Her name was Crystal. Crystal was Jaune's older sister, and the oldest out of all eight Arc children. She had changed so much since Jaune had last seen her and yet was still so similar. She was tall,blonde, and had a lithe figure that Jaune had heard many an embarrassing remark about from his classmates. Her hair was now long and flowy, reaching down to her shoulder blades. She wore a simple dress with a floral print, a simple hairband in her hair.

' _Okay. Remember Jaune. Short and simple. You can do this. The first words that you've said to your family in ages.'_

"Hi Crystal," Jaune said as his face broke out into the biggest grin his face could handle.

' _Nailed i-'_

Jaune's world exploded as something small yet hard hammered into his face. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Jaune felt his nose crush into his face, the blood already beginning to gush out of his now definitely broken nose.

Jaune idly noted that the blow had sent him flying backwards, his world inverting itself before he finally landed in a lump of pain off of the porch.

' _Did… Did I just flip?'_

A groan escaped his lips as he struggled to figure out which way was up. Finally orienting himself, Jaune sat up with his hand cradling his still bleeding nose. His eyes locked with Crystal, whose hand was still clutched tight into a fist.

"What the hell was that for?!" Jaune said as he glared at his sister.

His eyes were only met with righteous fury as Crystal ground her teeth. She stared down at the ground in front of her, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"I don't know who you are, or what kind of sick joke you're making," Crystal said, her voice slow but absolutely filled with fury. Her eyes glistened as tears threatened to fall.

"My family has been through... a lot. And we don't need some sicko messing with us to get his jollies off. So _please_. I'm begging you…"

' _Don't say it…'_ Jaune thought as he sat there, staring in disbelief at his sister.

Of course… they thought he was dead. Why would they believe him if he were to just show up at their door? He should have seen this coming… If his sister said those next words though…

"Just leave"

And there it was. Jaune didn't think he had anything left to break.

He was wrong.

"F-... Fine." Jaune said as he continued cradling his broken nose. He somehow made his way to his feet, feeling colder than he had ever felt before.

"Crystal wha-"

Jaune closed his eyes, hoping that wasn't who he thought it was. Hearing it from Crystal had broken him. Hearing it from her?

Jaune opened his eyes to find his mother staring at him. It looked like Juniper Arc had not aged a day since Jaune had last seen her. A kind face, with clear blue eyes that had only grown a little more tired looking. Bright blonde hair done up in an orderly bun with a single pin in it. She wore a simple dress, accenting a figure slightly fuller than Crystal's.

She had this… soothing aura, a welcoming warmth. She was a mother. She was Jaune's mother. She was just like how Jaune remembered her.

He took a step back, hoping to get out of there before his mother delivered that killing stroke.

"...Jaune?"

' _Oh god… please not again.'_ Jaune thought as hearing his name once more brought up long forgotten feelings of warmth and comfort. He closed his eyes, waiting for that final death blow to his psyche.

It never came.

Instead Jaune felt something ...warm?

A hand, soft and tempered with kindness, gently caressing the side of his face.

"Jaune... It _is_ you…" Her voice became broken with tears, as Jaune opened his eyes to see the happily crying face of his mother.

' _Oh'_

And just like that… it felt like everything was right again.

"What are you talking about mom?!"

' _Oh right… I've still got that problem'_

Jaune had almost forgotten about Crystal.

"Jaune's… Jaune's dead mom…" The last words were almost whispered out, as Crystal's tears finally fell from her eyes.

"Do you think I wouldn't recognize my own child?" Juniper asked, still staring into Jaune's eyes. "Sure he may look different. A bit more worn. Kind of like a hobo actually…"

' _I should get that fixed…'_ Jaune thought, only to be knocked out of his thoughts by his mother's other hand coming up to his face.

"But a mother knows," Juniper finished with firm conviction as she finally held her son's face after so long.

"Mom…" Crystal said, as she watched what she thought was a desperate mother's delusions over a small child.

' _I… I can still convince her. I can do this. I can be with my family…'_ Jaune thought as he wracked his brain to find some way to convince Crystal he was real. Something only he would know…

And then he had it.

"Crystal!" He said, her head snapping back up to glare at the hobo that would be her brother.

"Remember back when I was in middle school? And I found that porno book that you had hidden under your mattress?"

' _She was sure to remember that! Right?'_

Jaune looked into Crystal's eyes to find that the rage in her eyes had instead been replaced with… More rage?!

"I told you to never to talk about that you brat!" Crystal yelled before her hand came smacking down on the back of Jaune's head.

"Ack!" Jaune said he reached up one hand to hold his now smarting head.

As he cradled his abused head, he felt two arms envelope him. Crystal hugged him tight, as if he might disappear if she let go.

"Welcome home…" she said as she pulled Jaune closer.

Jaune simply leaned into the hug, his nose beginning at sniffle as his eyes began to water.

Home. He was finally home.

All of the sudden Jaune froze, as he realized tears weren't the only thing on his face.

"Uh…. Crystal?" He said hesitantly.

"Yes Jaune?" She said as she burrowed her face into her little brother's hair. She didn't mind the muck. She finally had her brother back.

"I'm bleeding on your dress…"

Crystal froze. Muck aside, she had just gotten that dress! She simply sighed as she tightened her grip.

"I'll just kill you later,"she mumbled as she heard the rest of the family approaching.

"Oh… ok," Jaune said as he leaned into his sister's touch.

He finally felt warm again.

* * *

They were relentless. They were unceasing in their assault. They were swarming Jaune in a flurry of bodies and limbs. Jaune thought he might die again.

He was loving every second of it.

"It's Jaune! It's really him!" Crystal and Juniper had called out to the family huddling in the doorway.

That had been the signal for the assault to begin.

The first to strike was the youngest.

Rouge was like a cannonball full of happiness and pain. Both emotional and physical. The emotional pain of having lost and then regained her brother. The physical pain of her brutally ramming her head into Jaune's stomach when he had tried to catch the young projectile.

"Oooof!"

Jaune felt the wind get knocked out of his stomach as two tiny steel girders seemed to wrap around his waist.

The twins were next. Hazel and Ivy struck low, his younger sisters wrapping around Jaune's ankles and sending him stumbling.

Noire struck high, her older sister status giving her the reach to wrap her arms around Jaune's neck. As he stumbled, air knocked from his lungs, windpipe strangled closed; Jaune felt the end was near.

The final and literal tipping point came with Rose and Violet. They both latched onto his arms, causing his stumbling form to finally fall. With no hands to catch himself, Jaune's descent to Remnant was a painful one.

This time the only thing that came out was a wheeze, as Jaune had no more breath left to knock out. The corners of his vision began to grow dark, Jaune feeling the familiar embrace of death as he lay there in a pile of blonde hair and tangled limbs.

' _Well this is a new way to die.'_

The constricting mass on top of him was abruptly lifted away, and the dark edges began to rescind from his vision.

"Oh sweet, sweet air…" Jaune said as he took gulps of air. Strangulation wasn't that bad of a way to in the grand scheme of things. Sure, there was a lot of panicking and stress at the beginning. But at the end you just sort of… went…

' _Do NOT start rating your preferred ways of dying Jaune… That way lies madness…'_

Jaune was broken out of his death-ridden musings by a hand held open in front of his face. It was a weathered hand, scarred and callused from a lifetime of work and dedication. Jaune followed the arm back to its owner, staring into the quietly crying azure eyes of one Brun Arc. Father of a lost son. Husband to a broken wife. Patriarch of an incomplete family, now finally whole.

* * *

After the initial crying, hugging, strangling, and attempted murder everyone had realized one thing.

Jaune stunk. Not like a "I just worked out and haven't had a shower yet stink", but a "I haven't showered in days or weeks and I think there's a rotting body somewhere on my person".

So Jaune was sentenced to a thorough scrubbing and showering, which Jaune didn't mind. What Jaune did mind however, was when everyone tried to follow him into the bathroom and to help him bathe.

They had refused to back off, even after Jaune started hissing and throwing water at him. They were just afraid that Jaune might… disappear again.

And so Jaune had taken the most awkward shower of his life, the entire eyes of his family upon the shower curtain that he hid behind.

Dinner was a more sordid affair. Having showered and found himself in a clean pair of shirt and shorts that somehow still fit him, Jaune felt more alive than he had ever been. When he had sat down to dinner with the rest of the family, he still felt their eyes upon him. He still felt their eyes on him as he took that first bite.

That first bite of his mother's cooking tasted like… Well it tasted like heaven. Jaune reacted in a way that he should have seen coming. He began to cry.

Then Rouge began to cry, after seeing her older brother cry.

Then the twins.

Then Crystal.

Then his Mom.

At that point, everyone else had taken they could stand, and they too burst into tears.

After a tear-soaked dinner, came the part that Jaune dreaded.

He sat on the couch with Rouge on his lap, and his sisters and parents arranged around him and sitting with a silent desperation to hear about what had happened.

His nose was bandaged and the bleeding had stopped long ago. Now however, he bit at his lip, wondering what to do. Should he tell them what had happened to him? Should he tell them everything? Nothing? Something? How would they react to his frequent deaths? How would they react to his non-deaths?!

Jaune thought he was nervous before. Now…

"Um… I don't know where to start…" Jaune said as he idly petted Rouge's head as she leaned back into her brother's embrace. Rouge seemed to melt into Jaune's lap as his ministrations slowly turned her into goo.

Jaune took a breath before starting his story. Not the full one. No. He didn't know how they'd react. More importantly Qrow's words came back to the forefront in his mind as he gazed fondly at his family. If they know about his ability, they could be in danger. Him being there put them in danger and he couldn't risk putting them in anymore.

"It all started in lab…"

Jaune's family listened intently, their grips on him becoming tighter as they heard his story. His family thought he should have died in many parts of his story. He actually had died. They didn't need to know that though. Not now.

When Jaune finished, his family's gaze had changed to a mixture of sorrow, anger, but in the end joy.

Joy that Jaune was home. Joy that his trials were over. Joy that Jaune would soon have to end.

"Does anyone remember how we got separated? All I remember is.. an explosion maybe?"

Jaune's father spoke up first.

"It was a terrorist attack. A massacre more like it. " Jaune's jaw clenched as memories of that day came back, his eyes burning in old rage.

"We thought…. We thought you died…but that doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that you're safe. You're home."

Jaune winced. This was going to be the hard part.

Jaune sighed as he worked up the courage, his family looking at him with confusion on their face as they noted his pained look.

"About that…"

And then the yelling and strangling started.

* * *

The strangling was pretty bad, the heartbroken cries had been the worst.

Jaune sat with his father rubbing his throat, tiny like arm marks still visible around his neck. They sat in the living room, the rest of the family having left with a fight and swearing vengeance upon Jaune's body for daring to leave them again.

He needed to leave however, every second here was putting them in more danger. He needed to go to Beacon, and find this Ozpin. Maybe he was a wizard of some sort. He sounded like one from little Qrow had spoken of him.

His father understood. His mother understood. He felt like his sisters understood. They all hated it.

Brun Arc had all but demanded Jaune some privacy however, as it had already grown late into the night. Jaune could already see the sun beginning to peak over the trees. Everyone had reluctantly agreed, the many cups of coffee doing little to prevent the adorable yawns and drooping heads.

Jaune sat on the couch, as his father rummaged around the kitchen, before returning. He carried with him several things. A bottle of whiskey, two glasses, and something Jaune hadn't seen in ages.

Crocea Mors, sword of his father and of his forefathers. Jaune had practically worshipped the blade, stories of his ancestor's heroics still ringing in his mind.

His thoughts were interrupted as his father placed the two glasses in front of them, pouring a fair amount into each glass. Brun sipped at the amber liquid, as Jaune tentatively raised the glass to his lips and took a sip.

The burning liquid seared his throat, and tears formed in his eyes. He wasn't going to cough here. Not in front of his father. He swallowed the drink and let out a slight rattle.

"Smooth…" he said with a little cough.

Brun simply smiled, taking another sip. The smile was wiped off his face however, as a grim look came upon his face. He tilted his head back and downed the rest of his glass, before setting it down.

Then he took his shirt off.

"Uh… Dad?" Jaune said as he quirked an eyebrow at his disrobing father.

"Shut up Jaune." Brun grumbled as he set his shirt down. Brun's body wasn't bursting with muscle, nor did he have the physique of some kind of super model. It was scarred. It was beaten, but it was not broken in anyway. This was the body of a man who had survived a life time of battle. A body that had been forged in fields of carnage and chaos. It spoke of his life, his trials, and all he had suffered through. This was Brun Arc, and this body was his and his alone.

Jaune made a zipping motion across his mouth as he took another small sip of whiskey, the burning becoming a more manageable scalding rather than outright burning.

Brun took another breath before clenching his jaw and staring Jaune dead in the eye.

"Jaune… I don't know what's going on with you. I don't know what it is you're hiding."

"I-" JAune tried to interrupt but Brun's hand held up silenced him, his mouth clicking shut.

" I won't ask you to tell me. That's your choice. I hope you'll tell us all one day, but it doesn't have to be today. I want to say that whatever you're going through that I can help you with. That I should be able to help you with.

I'm your father dammit! And it's killing me to know the truth...

That I can't help you with everything. That I probably can't help you with whatever you're going through right now.

So instead, I'll do what my father did when I also reached that point in _my_ life. When I had to leave and face the unknown. "

Jaune stayed silent as his father skipped the glass and instead took a swig straight from the whiskey bottle.

When he spoke again, his voice was still raw with emotion, but this time tempered with steel and discipline.

"We are Arcs. We are warriors. Our family is one of battle and conflict. I was a hunter. Your grandfather fought in the Faunus War. Your great-grandfather fought in the Great War.

We are not heroes."

At this Brun unsheathed Crocea Mors, and held the blade in front of him. Jaune stared at the blade. He looked at the sword's steel, polished but lacking the lustre it once had. Scratches and nicks marred its surface, earned from generations of combat. It was an old but good blade, and Jaune could not help but notice the similarities between it and his father.

Both had seen a lifetime of battle. Both had survived.

"Do you know what makes this blade so special Jaune?"

Jaune shook his head, not trusting his voice to speak.

"Nothing. Nothing is special about this sword. It's not indestructible. It has no power. It won't fight your battles for you. It won't grant you strength or wisdom. It's just a sword and nothing more.

It's the same as us. We are not _heroes_. We are warriors. We are soldiers. We are protectors. We do our duty. We _serve_. Most importantly however, we _survive_.

We Arcs are survivors. It's what we do. We are nothing special. We are just men and nothing more.

We do not seek power, or strength. All we want is to come home at the end of the day.

So remember this Jaune. Whenever you look at this sword remember this. Survive. Survive and come back to us. "

Brun sheathed Crocea Mors, the sword sliding in with a rasp and a click, before handing it over the Jaune.

Jaune reached out his hand grabbed the sword, hoping that he was strong enough. Not to hold the sword, but to keep true to his legacy. To come home.

Brun stood up, resting a hand on Jaune's shoulder, an unspoken message between father and son. He quietly left, not trusting his own voice as he went to his room.

Jaune was left on his own in the living room, the morning light finally spilling into the house. He stared at the word in his hand, still sheathed as his father had left it.

He rested his head on the sheathe, closing his eyes as he tried to muster up his courage.

"I'll be back… I swear…" he said both to himself and to the family sleeping in the nearby rooms.

An Arc always kept his word. Jaune just hoped he could keep his.

* * *

 **A/N: I'll be honest. I'm not super pleased with how this chapter came out. I feel like maybe I rushed trying to cram emotion into such a short chapter, but I don't really trust myself to be able to handle more detailed and longer chapters. I'm not even sure if I managed to make it as emotional as I would have wanted. I'll probably end up redoing this chapter once I have more time and experience under my hands.**

 **The Arc family will be fleshed out more later, whether through the story or possibly even omakes.**

 **Same as always, thanks for reading and please review!**


	6. Two Strangers?

**A/N: Hello again! Just a bit more before Beacon finally starts! Who's excited for school! Whoo!**

 **I tried to take my time a little bit more with this chapter than compared to last chapter. I did feel like I kind of rushed the last chapter, and I still feel like I rushed this one :\\.**

 **Anyways, as always thanks for reading and please review!**

* * *

Jaune was ready to leave his home once again. He had Crocea Mors strapped to his hip, his hunting knife strapped to his leg, a small bag containing a spare set of clothes, and he finally had a proper pair of pants again.

His family knew not to give Jaune anything too expensive to wear, knowing that such finery would soon be reduced to nothing but rags. Instead he wore a simple pair of jeans with a pair of converse shoes that Crystal claimed was coming back in style, and his lucky black hoodie.

He had sent in fifty box tops of Pumpkin Pete's cereal to get this hoodie, and it was lucky in that it he hadn't been wearing it in the explosion that had separated him from his family. Over his hoodie was his father's old armor. It had been something he had worn when he was around Jaune's age, a simple chest plate and shoulder guards. It was a little bit big now but Brun was sure Jaune would grow into it.

Jaune Arc was all set to leave.

There was just one little problem.

"I don't want you to leave…" Rouge whimpered as she clung tight to Jaune's neck. Today was Rouge's birthday, and for her birthday Jaune had given her the gift of him leaving and never coming back.

Maybe Rouge was being a bit dramatic.

Jaune hugged Rouge back, squishing her tiny frame into his.

"I'm sorry Rouge, but I have to…"

Around them were the rest of their family. It had only been a week since Jaune had gotten back and now he was leaving again. They were not pleased.

The person who it had arguably hit the most however was Rouge. Rouge had always been closest to Jaune, and his 'death' had hit her the hardest.

Now that Jaune was back from the dead, she wasn't going to ever let him go.

"Rouge…"

"No!" Rouge said as she burrowed even deeper into Jaune.

"Not even for your gift?" Jaune said, watching as Rouge perked up?

"...No…" Rouge said, her grip already loosening.

"It's a gooooood one…"

Rouge reluctantly let Jaune go, holding out her hand expectantly. She kept her head down, but her eyes shone from behind her bangs she pouted at her big brother.

Jaune pulled out a small slim box and placed it in Rouge's hands. It was simply wrapped with a small little bow on it.

It had only taken Jaune a few minutes to wrap, but it took Rouge only seconds to tear apart the meticulously wrapped gift.

.Rouge was left holding a simple doll of cloth and thread. It was small, it was slightly lopsided, and it was one of the ugliest things that any of the family had ever seen. But it was unmistakably a tiny little doll of Jaune, right down to the clothes he was wearing.

"I didn't really have much time and money, and I pretty much had to follow these step-by-step instructions from a kids sight, but it's the best I could do right now… and -ooof!"

Jaune was cut off from his ramblings by Rouge pulling him in close for another strangling hug.

"I love it…" she mumbled into his hoodie as Jaune wrapped her up in his arms.

"This way you always have a little me with you until I get back, okay?"

Rouge nodded her head as she snuggled deeper into Jaune's embrace.

"Okay…"

Jaune smiled as he hugged Rouge, a small content smile on his face.

"You know you still owe us like two years of gifts, right?"

Jaune's smile dropped off his face, replaced by a scowl.

' _Dammit Crystal…'_

* * *

The journey to Vale seemed much less daunting than the journey back home.

Brun Arc was a hunter with lots of experience, and with lots of experience came lots of friends and favors.

One of such friends was working on a cargo train crew that was headed to Vale, and had been more than happy to give Jaune a ride to Vale. There were only a few rules. Jaune was not to ask about the cargo, learn about the cargo, talk with any other of the crew members, or be seen.

It was around that moment that Jaune realized that he was being illegally smuggled into Vale.

Given that Jaune was also probably being hunted by a black ops military group, he felt that the need for secrecy made a certain bit of sense.

That was why Jaune was currently huddled over inside of a hidden smuggling compartment that his father's 'friend' had shoved him into.

It was hot, stuffy, and smelled of human waste and sadness. It had also been about 2 hours since Jaune had first been stuffed in there, and he refused to contribute to the smell. Luckily the compartment opened from the inside, giving Jaune ease of access to the rest of the train.

Jaune looked around. His eyes quickly getting used to the dark interior.

"Now where's that bathroom…"

* * *

Blake Belladonna, faunus, former White Fang terrorist, and lover of books and smut watched as her past faded away into the distance.

The Forever Fall was a beautiful backdrop, and Blake couldn't have asked for a more fitting one than the eternally red forest. She could still see her former partner in the distance, watching her as she watched him. He was standing on the other half of the train with a full shipment of dust, a train that Blake herself had split apart in order to say goodbye.

It had been a tough decision that had been debated again and again inside of her head. Adam had been getting increasingly worse, as had been the rest of White Fang. It had started out small. An accidental death here and there had changed into purposeful "regretful sacrifices" for the cause.

Blake still remembered what White Fang and Adam had stood for, and she wanted to leave before those memories were lost. That's why she had to leave, before the blood on her own hands became too much, before she couldn't look at herself in the mirror, before-

"Hey, do you know where the bathroom is?"

Blake whirled around, too caught up in her own thoughts to realize that someone had snuck up on her.

As her eyes settled on the new figure, they widened, panic settling into her brain.

Blonde hair and blue eyes stared back at her. The same blonde hair and blue eyes whose blood was the first to stain Blake's hands when everything had started going wrong.

She still remembered that day.

* * *

 _They were going to send a message._

 _A simple bombing. Destroying some Schnee dust supplies._

 _Her running through the streets, trying to escape the guards who had caught her and Adam, the_

 _bomb still heavy in her bag._

 _It was her first time. She was clumsy._

 _A burning sensation on her side, a bullet just barely grazing her. A distraction._

 _The bag falls. Her eyes widen in shock as it comes to rest at the foot of a boy and a girl._

 _Bright blue eyes and blonde hair. An older brother and his sister._

 _She tells them to get away. They get the message too late._

 _The boy throws his sister to the side._

 _It's all the time he has._

 _An explosion._

 _The fire engulfs him._

 _She doesn't stop to look, can't afford to stop and look._

 _All she remembers is a pair of blue eyes._

* * *

Those same blue eyes that have haunted her for over two years. Those same blue eyes that are staring at her right now.

"Uhm… Are you o-"

Blake Belladonna panicked.

She thought she was just hallucinating, a culmination of all the stress she had been going through.

"Gah!" She yelped as she tried to push the eyes away, only to feel herself pushing away at clothe and flesh.

The rest of the features filled in. A boy roughly her age with short but still somehow unruly blonde hair wearing a black hoody and jeans. A boy that she had just pushed off a moving train.

"WWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYyyyyyyyyyyyyyy-"

His voice trailed off into distance as Blake stared in shock at what she had just done.

"There's no way that could have been him… There's no way that just happened right?" Blake said as he continued trying to rationalize what she had just seen.

There's no way that she had just murdered someone right? Not again? Not like last time.

That boy was dead. Dead and gone.

After all, the dead don't come back to life.

* * *

Jaune died.

Then he came back to life.

Then he died.

Then he came back to life again.

It turned out that the train had been crossing a particularly steep part of the terrain just then on the edge of the Forever Fall. What that meant was a lot of sharp rocks with jagged edges, and the occasional tree branch for him to fall onto.

He wasn't even entirely sure what had happened. One moment he had been asking this girl with cat ears where the bathroom was, the next moment he was flying through the air and off the train.

The first death was relatively quick and painless. He fell headfirst onto a rock, the blow cracking his skull open and smashing his brain as his lifeless body continued to flop down the mountainside.

He came too just as he flip-flopped into a tree, feeling it crack as he too tumbled away from it. He registered a searing pain in his stomach, causing him to look up as he continued to fall.

A small branch had pierced his stomach, before lodging onto a part of his intestine. When Jaune had continued falling, that particular organ had not gotten the memo. Instead it had stayed stuck to the branch, and the rest of his small intestine was now being pulled from his body like some kind of morbid magic trick.

The worst part was that meant there was already a hole in Jaune's lucky hoodie. It hadn't even lasted one day whole.

Jaune quickly unsheathed his hunting knife, cutting off his small intestine in annoyance as he continued to tumble and fall.

Sheathing his hunting knife, he let out a sigh.

He hoped the next death came quickly. This was getting tedious.

That thought made Jaune pause.

Since when did death become tedious for him? When had it become… normal?

* * *

The journey to Vale actually wasn't as bad as Jaune had expected. Especially considering that half way through he had been tossed off a moving train by a deranged cat girl.

He had been lucky however in _where_ he had been pushed off the train. After falling for what felt like an hour, Jaune had finally landed in a quaint little town. A quaint little town with a working bullhead pilot who needed to go to Vale for supplies.

It looked like Jaune's lucky hoodie was finally working.

One short bullhead ride later and one visit to a trash can later, Jaune was finally at Vale.

It seemed slightly… anticlimactic. Especially his last journey.

Jaune wasn't going to look a gift horse in the eye however, and simply waved goodbye at the friendly bullhead pilot who had dropped him off.

Jaune looked warily off into the distance. He could see it from here. Beacon Tower, birthplace of huntsman and starting place for heroes. Just one more wall to overcome in order to get there.

He needed to ride one more airship. And this time, he wouldn't throw up!

With his mission set, Jaune walked up to the nearest ticketing booth he could find.

Oddly enough there was no one in line despite it being the middle of the day and the rest of the area bustling. He could hear a multitude of airships taking off and landing in the distance with giant crowds walking everywhere.

It certainly seemed a bit odd to Jaune, but Jaune wasn't going to complain. He had always hated lines.

The teller was an older man, complete with gray hair and spectacles. Aside from his hair however, the man did not look that old, with a slim body and a stern but young looking face. The teller sat in his booth, sipping coffee and idly reading from his scroll.

Jaune waited for the teller to look up from his scroll. Then he waited some more. Finally Jaune had enough.

"H-"

Right as Jaune began to speak however, the teller looked up, a glint in his eye making it look like he had just won some sort of unspoken contest.

"Can I help you?"

Caught off guard, Jaune stumbled with his words slightly as the teller set his coffee mug down and stared him down.

"I.. uh… I need to make it up to Beacon?"

The teller simply gave him a bored look as he went back to his coffee and his reading.

"No one's allowed up except students and authorized personnel."

"But I need to talk to Ozpin!"

This caught the teller's attention, the scroll and the coffee mug once more settling onto the table.

"Oh? And why would you need to do that?"

"Uh…" Jaune really wasn't sure where to go here.

' _Because I'm immortal? Because I was just broken out of a secret military installation and needed his help? Wait, that's it!'_

"Qrow told me to come here." Jaune said confidently, sure that it would convince the teller to get him to Beacon.

The teller's bored look came back on his face.

"And who… is Qrow?"

"Qrow…" Jaune's voice trailed off as his eyes slowly widened. Of all the stupid things he could have done, Jaune would never have expected he'd forgotten Qrow's last name.

' _He was literally the first person you talked to after two years! How do you not remember his name! Stupid Stupid stupidstupidstupid!'_

Jaune had no choice, he had to take a shot in the dark.

"Qrow…. Drunkguy?"

Despite Qrow having not drank anything in front of Jaune, the smell of alcohol was still heavy on the stubbled man. Maybe the alcohol was simply stuck to his stubble.

"Qrow Drunkguy." The teller repeated slowly, staring at Jaune with a blank look on his face.

' _Remember Jaune. All you need is confidence!'_

"Yes. Qrow Drunkguy," Jaune said as he nodded. The teller just stared at him. The stare went on for a few more uncomfortable seconds, before finally the teller shrugged.

"Okay." The teller said as he began to type something into his scroll.

' _That… worked?'_ Jaune couldn't quite believe it, but he wasn't going to argue with results.

* * *

One Bullhead ride and one more vomiting session out of the way, Jaune was at Beacon.

Beacon, school for hunters and huntresses, bastion against the darkness that is the Grimm.

Jaune never thought he'd actually manage to ever make it Beacon. Then again he hadn't made it here as a student so he guessed it didn't count. He'd take what he could get.

Jaune walked the long entry way towards the giant tower rising up in the distance. If he had to make a guess, that giant tower was probably where he needed to go. He had read enough comics and watched enough television to know that the boss was always in the giant tower. Always.

"Stop!" a woman's voice rang out, as Jaune froze mid step. Something in that woman's voice simply sent a shiver up his spine as if promising a world of hurt if he did not listen.

His head slowly turned to face where the voice had come from. A blonde woman slowly stalked towards him, her heels clicking on the stone floor. Her outfit practically screamed teacher. Glasses? Check. Blonde hair done up in a no-nonsense bun? Check. Skirt and heels? Check. White blouse open to show cleavage with a black corset, a riding crop, and a cape? Check?

Admittedly the last few things that registered in Jaune's brain didn't quite fit, however Jaune was too busy trying not to get smited by the approaching woman. He had never been smited before. He didn't even know how one was supposed to smite someone, but he had the strange feeling that this woman would somehow manage it.

"What are you doing here? This place is off limits to everyone except for students."

Jaune unconsciously felt himself standing up straighter. He may have even popped off a salute.

"Ma'am I'm here to talk to Ozpin ma'am!"

' _Dammit! Too many ma'ams!'_

Jaune could somehow tell that his constant use of ma'am had also managed to irritate the riding-crop-wielding teacher.

"Ozpin?" she muttered before something rang out on her scroll.

"Excuse me," she said as she pulled out the scroll, reading its contents before her eyebrows shot up. She glanced up at Jaune before looking back down at her scroll.

"What the hell are you planning Ozpin…" she muttered as Jaune looked on in confusion.

"Ma'am?"

She glared at Jaune and he went rigid, back as straight as possible.

"Just… follow me." she said with an exasperated sigh as she turned and walked off.

Jaune simply shrugged and followed along. He hadn't been smited yet. No reason to get smited now.

* * *

The elevator ride was… interesting…

"So… do you come here often?" Jaune asked, sending a sidelong glance at the clearly irritated blonde teacher.

"Yes"

"Oh… Cool" Jaune said as he let the conversation die. The blonde teacher was certainly pretty, Jaune even dared to say beautiful, but she scared the actual bejeezus out of him. Jaune hadn't used bejeezus to describe anything before, but somehow it felt …fitting.

Finally the elevator came to a slow stop and Jaune let out a sigh

' _Oh thank Oum'_

The woman beside him snapped her head to look at him.

"I said that out loud didn't I…" Jaune said as he averted his eyes.

She simply nodded as she walked out of the quickly opening doors.

Jaune simply sighed again as he also walked out. So far his first visit to Beacon was not going like he had expected it to.

"Ah thank you Glynda for escorting our guest up here. I feared he would have gotten lost otherwise."

Jaune's head snapped up. He recognized that voice.

"Just tell me what this is about Ozpin" the now named Glynda said as she walked over to the singular desk in the room. Clockwork gears made up the large window behind the desk, offering an impressive view of the mountains surrounding Vale.

Jaune ignored these impressive sights however to focus on the figure sitting at the desk. It was the teller from Vale. The teller from Vale was Ozpin. The teller from Vale also known as Ozpin had sent him on an entire Bullhead and vomit ride just to get here.

Juniper and Brun had taught their children never to judge someone based on first meetings. First meetings were often out of control and you could never gain the good measure of a person in such a short time. As this was the second meeting however, Jaune felt pretty safe in saying that he was beginning to hate Ozpin. Or at least mildly dislike.

"Welcome Mr. Arc," Ozpin said with that same goddamn mug in his hand. "I believe you were looking for me?"

Jaune just gaped as Ozpin calmly took another sip of his coffee.

"You're Ozpin?! Why were you even working in Vale?" Jaune said as he pointed his finger accusingly at the grey-haired fraud.

"I was waiting for you Mr. Arc." That stopped Jaune in his tracks.

"What? You were waiting for me?"

Ozpin nodded. "Yes. Qrow informed me of your… condition."

This time Glynda chimed in. " You mean?"

Yet another nod from Ozpin. "Yes. This is Jaune Arc, apparent immortal."

Glynda shot a quizzical look at Jaune, not quite believing what she was hearing. This was the immortal? He was just a boy, a scrawny and very awkward boy.

Jaune caught Glynda's look. She wasn't convinced. He drew his sword, noting the two of them stiffen once he raised it up to his neck. Seeing was believing after all.

' _Meh, there'll probably be a lot of blood but it'll probably wash out, right?'_

As Jaune prepared to behead himself however, the two professors finally caught onto what was happening.

The moment Jaune had tried to properly decapitate himself, he found he couldn't move his sword. Thinking he caught it on something, he looked at it only to see it was covered in a strange light.

"That's new,"Jaune said before he looked over at the two professors. Ozpin had rise slightly out of his seat, hand clenched on his cane. Glynda had her riding crop pointed at him and the riding crop was… glowing?

' _Ah'_ Jaune thought as he connected two and two together. Glynda had stopped him.

"Uhm… Don't you want to see the whole immortality thing? No reason to lose your heads over it. If one of you could help me though that'd be great! It's actually _really_ hard to decapitate yourself on your own."

"It's fine Mr. Arc, I believe you," Ozpin said as he settled back into his seat, one crisis averted. All that blood would have been _impossible_ to clean up. That and having child decapitate themselves in your office probably wasn't good for one's sanity.

"Now then, what can I do for you?"

Jaune sheathed his blade as he began to shift in place. He never liked having to ask for help.

"Qrow said that you could help with my …condition. Maybe figure out what's going on with me? Or at least help keep me and my family safe. I don't want to wake up in some weirdo's basement again."

Ozpin nodded thoughtfully as he listened to Jaune.

"I see… Do you mind if I ask you a question first Mr. Arc?" Ozpin asked as he finally settled his coffee mug onto the table.

"Uh… Yeah sure. Whatever you need."

Ozpin stared into Jaune's eyes, as if trying to discern something that couldn't be seen.

"Doesn't it bother you?"

Jaune didn't quite know how to respond. "Doesn't what bother me?"

Ozpin and Glynda shared a look, as if seeing something that Jaune didn't.

"Doesn't it bother you when you die? Doesn't it bother you when you take your life like that?"

' _Huh. Haven't actually thought about it before'_

Jaune really hadn't. He didn't know when he stopped thinking about it. At this point dying was like eating or breathing to him. It just sort of… happened.

"Uhm. Not really. I mean if you're asking if I'm scared or anything not really. I guess I'm just… used to dying at this point."

The moment Jaune said those words, Ozpin and Glynda shared a look. It was a look that Jaune almost hadn't recognized, having not seen it in so long. It was pity. They pitied him.

Why Jaune had no idea but he wasn't going to argue if pity helped keep him and his family safe.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, his face blank. Jaune began to fidget whereas Glynda simply sighed and began to rub her temples. Whenever Ozpin was like this, he was going to say something that would give her a headache for the rest of the day.

"Mr. Arc… How would you like to become a student of this school?"

* * *

 **A/N: Who saw that coming? Everyone right?**

 **Anyways toodles!**


	7. Welcome to Beacon?

Jaune's first day as a student was going… alright.

Being a Huntsman was Jaune's dream before he went to the place where dreams went to die. Not necessarily all dreams, just Jaune's.

This should have been an exciting day, and Jaune was sure it would _if_ he hadn't had to ride two airships in the same day.

The first one was from Beacon to Vale. It was all a part of Ozpin's master plan to have Jaune blend into the student body, along with one other key part.

" _Don't let anyone know you can come back from the dead Mr. Arc. If anyone finds out, I can't be held responsible for what happens."_

Ozpin's words were still ringing in his head, along with his stern glare. It wasn't like Jaune _tried_ to die all the time. It usually just sort of ended up happening. Aside from that time he had tried to behead himself but he felt like that was warranted.

Jaune had to admit that maybe it was a good idea not to go around dying all the time. It's not like there were many blonde-haired, blue-eyed, immortal teenagers running around.

So after throwing up on _that_ airship, Jaune had loitered around a little while before he boarded yet _another_ airship.

Another airship where he was currently throwing up, much like the first one. This time as he was running to the trash can however, it appeared as if there was some "friendly fire".

"It's on your shoe! Get away!"

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!"

Jaune felt a little bit bad. Only a little.

* * *

This was supposed to a great day.

Ruby Rose was not having a great day.

First her sister had ditched her to go hang out with her friends. Then Ruby had bumped into the crabbiest person that she had ever met. And _then_ she had gotten blown up!

Sure she probably shouldn't have sneezed next to a bunch of dust, but who carried around a bunch of dust like that anyways?

"I'm sorry! I'll promise I'll make it up to you!" Ruby called off at the retreating 'princess' and her minions.

Well. Maybe they'd meet up again later. Maybe she was just having a bad day too, and later they could meet and be friends!

Speaking of friends…

"So, what's…" Ruby turned to the other girl had been talking with the crabby princess, only to see her _literally_ running away as if her life depended on it.

"Guess she didn't want to talk either…" Ruby said as she finally felt it all become too much.

She flopped down onto the pavement, staring up into the sky as she let out a suffering sigh.

"Welcome to Beacon…"

* * *

' _Curse my bleeding heart'_ Jaune thought as he made his way over. It wasn't every day that you saw a girl literally explode and then flop down to the ground in despair.

The girl that she had been standing with in black however was kind of familiar looking… The moment she had seen him however, she had paled and practically sprinted away. That got Jaune thinking.

Was Jaune… Was Jaune ugly? He certainly didn't know if he was or not but constantly dying couldn't be good for his skin.

"Welcome to Beacon," he heard the girl on the floor as he walked over.

Now that he was closer, she was definitely younger than him. She was wearing a red and black skirt with matching stockings and boots. Her hair was a dark red, looking completely black near the roots. She was also wearing a red hood and cape of all things.

' _Maybe all huntresses wear capes. Maybe I should wear a cape'_

Jaune doubted he'd be able to pull off the cape though.

His shadow fell over her, and he saw her eyelids open to reveal two silver eyes.

Jaune didn't know if it was hormones or nerves, but the moment he saw those eyes he panicked. It was a visceral reaction, only lasting a second, but he felt his entire body lock up.

It was a feeling that Jaune had felt so many times before. That feeling of impending death, of oblivion. This ...was different. It came with something else. It came with a feeling of peace, that it would finally all be over. The End. He could feel the capital 'E'.

Jaune hoped it was just nerves.

Jaune finally managed to relax himself and extended his hand to help her up.

Strange feelings of death aside, her eyes also revealed who she was. She was just a girl. An extremely nervous girl on her first day of school.

"Hey… I'm Jaune" he said as she grabbed his hand and pulled herself up.

"Ruby" she said as she got up and dusted herself off. "Aren't you that guy that threw up on the ship?"

Jaune just glared at her. A new feeling was back. Mild annoyance.

He could salvage this… Probably.

"Uh… no?"

"Wait! It was definitely you! I remember because I turned to Yang and called you Vomit… Boy…" Ruby's voice trailed off as she realized that she was in fact standing right in front of "Vomit Boy". Said Vomit Boy also probably wouldn't take too kindly to being called Vomit Boy.

"It's a very common problem! Everyone else gets motion sickness every now and then too!" Jaune shot back.

He may have been omitting the fact that he got motion sick all the time. Ruby didn't need to know that though.

Ruby just laughed. More so at his problems than at him. Then again it might have been at him. Either way Jaune was glad to see Ruby's mood lighten up.

"Look, I'm sorry! Vomit Boy was the first that came to mind!"

Jaune needed to nip this in the bud. He was not going to go through four years with this nickname!

"Why Vomit Boy? Why not Vomit Man?!" Jaune internally smacked himself. Not the best new nickname.

He soldiered on. "How would you like it if I called you Crater Face?"

' _Ha! Nice one Jaune. Burn! ...Maybe she actually did get burned? That wouldn't be funny. Bad Jaune!'_

At least the new nickname managed to distract Ruby.

"Hey! That was an accident!"

Jaune just stuck his tongue out at her. Sure he was being a bit childish, but he felt like he could afford it.

He was doing pretty well so far. Maybe this making new friends thing wasn't too hard.

"Anyways the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it"

' _Shit! Why! Why do you always come out of my mouth!'_

* * *

 _ **-10 years ago-**_

" _Mom I don't like my name! What kind of name is Jaune?!"_

" _Don't worry sweetie. Trust me! It's short,sweet, and rolls off the tongue. Ladies will love it!"_

" _Really Mom?"_

" _Yep! Now repeat after me Jaune. The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!"_

" _The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!"_

" _Good! Again!"_

" _The name's-"_

* * *

' _Dammit Mom…'_

Ruby for her part just stared at him with a weird look on her face.

"Do they?" She asked, skepticism heavy in her voice.

' _Huh, deja vu'_ Jaune thought as Ruby continued to stare at him.

"Well… my mom said they will…" Jaune actually wasn't sure that ever would be true. He had heard the stories of his father wooing his mother. They were not pretty.

Ruby just giggled at Jaune's downtrodden look. Then the conversation died.

The two of them kept on walking, both of them struggling to find something else to say.

"So… I've got this thing!" Ruby said as she pulled something out. All of the sudden the entire thing unfolded and a blade sank into the ground.

Ruby had just pulled out a giant scythe out of nowhere.

' _Huh. Even more deja vu'_ Jaune thought as he stared at the scythe. It followed the same color scheme as Ruby, shades of black and red accented in a vicious curved blade. Maybe those feelings of death from before weren't unfounded.

"That. is. so. COOL!" Jaune said as he stared at the scythe, awe in his eyes.

"Thanks! Crescent Rose here is my baby!" Ruby said as she cooed a little at her scythe.

Ruby was pleased. Any parent would be happy about their baby being praised after all.

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!" Ruby said, quickly noticing the blank look that settled over Jaune's face.

"It's also a gun." Ruby said as she cocked the sniper scythe to demonstrate.

"Wow…" Jaune couldn't help but be jealous. This was probably what a real huntress was like. He wondered if Ms. Goodwitch also had a secret badass unfolding weapon?

"So what've you got?" Ruby asked as she unfolded the weapon. Jaune eyed the hole that it had left. Glynda would not be happy.

Realizing that Ruby was waiting on him, he hastily fumbled for Crocea Mors.

He unsheathed it and expanded the shield. He raised the sword up in front of his face, watching the sunlight glint off its aged blade.

"This… is Crocea Mors. Weapon of my forefathers and a constant reminder."

Ruby saw the sunlight striking Jaune and his sword as he held it before him and gazed into its surface. She couldn't help but think that he looked like a knight from the stories Yang used to read her.

"A reminder of what?" Ruby asked as Jaune continued to stare at his sword.

Jaune smiled at Ruby as he sheathed the blade. "To survive. Sorry I don't have anything as fancy as your uh… baby..."

Ruby waved it off. "There's nothing wrong with the classics!"

"Oh and I've got Mr. Stabby!" Jaune's eyes lit up as he pulled out the hunting knife strapped to his thigh.

"Mr… Stabby?" Ruby said as she looked at the hunting knife. Weapons were supposed to have cool names. Like Crescent Rose! Mr. Stabby didn't really strike fear into the heart of… well anything...

Jaune just nodded. "Mr. Stabby. He doesn't just stab though. He also slices and dices! He's saved my-" _Not really life I guess…_ "- hide too many times to count."

Ruby just giggled. Jaune was weird. Nice, but weird.

"That's cool. I'm kind of a dork for weapons myself. I went a little bit overboard designing Crescent Rose here."

"You made that?!" Jaune said, gaping at the smaller girl. He was beginning to feel a little out of place.

"Of course! All students at Signal build their own weapons." A lot out of place then.

Silence fell between the two of them as they walked, this time however it was nowhere near as awkward as that initial silence..

Ruby glanced back up at Jaune again, before looking at the ground, fidgeting a little with her robe.

"So… why'd you help me out back there? In the courtyard?"

This time it was Jaune's turn to shoot her a weird look.

"Why not?" He said with a shrug. "You looked like a kicked puppy. And besides! My mom always said 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet' "

At least one of her sayings was working out he supposed.

Ruby had bristled initially at the 'kicked puppy' comment but she quickly settled down. He had said friend right? She had made her first friend at Beacon! Yang would be proud.

"Uh hey, Ruby?"

"Yeah Jaune," Ruby said, breaking out of her thoughts.

"Where are we?"

"Uhhh…. I was following you?"

Ruby and Jaune simply stopped as they looked around. Finally their eyes settled on each other.

"Crap"

"Language!" Ruby said with a giggle as the two newly made friends continued to get lost.

* * *

Blake Belladonna was freaking out. Not like freaking out that her hair didn't look okay, but worried that she was losing her mind freaking out.

 _He_ was here.

She thought the hallucinations on the train were the end of it. She thought that would be the end of it, a single guilt-induced hallucination. She hadn't seen his blue eyes since.

Until now.

She had seen him walking up to her, those same damnable blue eyes staring at her. She did what any sane person would have done.

She ran.

She ran only to notice that those blue eyes weren't following her, instead they had stopped to chat with the girl who had blown herself up along with the Schnee.

Blake stopped and looked back, finally noticing the body that went along with the eyes. Blonde hair, blue eyes, jeans, and a black hoodie. He looked so similar to that boy on the train, but there was no way right?.

She wasn't crazy!

She wasn't crazy. Blake Belladonna knew what she had seen. The black hoodie, the jeans, those blue eyes… It was the same person.

Her eyes narrowed as her hand went instinctively to the hilt of Gambol Shroud. That meant that _he_ was following her. Both at the train and here? There's no way that was a coincidence!

Her grip tightened as she turned and walked away. She was certain that a fall from the train would be certain death, but it might not be if one's aura was strong enough. He didn't even look a little bit scuffed up! He was either incredibly strong or incredibly lucky.

She didn't know why he was following her, but Blake Belladonna wasn't one to wait.

It looked like she was going to have a little chat with Blue-Eyes.

* * *

"Oh hey! There's Yang! I- I've got to go! I'll see you after the ceremony Jaune!"

Jaune gave a weak wave as Ruby sprinted away to a waving blonde.

And with that, the only person that Jaune knew was gone. Well aside from Glynda and Ozpin. He had the odd feeling they wouldn't want to talk.

Jaune awkwardly stood amongst the large amount of students still milling about, looking for a seat before the opening ceremony.

Did he just sit down somewhere? Should he just sit down next to someone? Would they find that weird? Would they find that _offensive?_ Did he really want to offend someone the very first day? Would they become enemies? Rivals? What should he do?

"... and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde, and scraggly over there!"

Jaune had heard that.

Tall, blonde, and scraggly? Judging from everyone else here, probably him. No one else really pulled off scraggly like him. He turned around, looking for his vocal admirer.

That's when he saw her.

Beautiful, long, white hair with alabaster skin. A scowl only accentuating her elegant features as she verbally abused someone in a red hood. She was beautiful.

This time he was sure it was the hormones.

' _I should go talk to her'_ Jaune thought as he found himself staring. He couldn't just go talk to her though! He needed a line! A line and confidence!

' _Also a good time to go over and talk to her. My god she's like an angel! And her hair! It's like snow! It's like a ...a… a snow angel! Aw man I am totally using that one! I just need a moment to talk to her.'_

" … And with that you all are dismissed."

Jaune's head snapped over to the stage, only to see Glynda and Ozpin's retreating backs. Had he missed the whole speech?!

' _Nevermind that. I have an angel to woo!'_

His feet quickly carried him over to the white-haired beauty. As he got closer though, he realized that his Snow Angel was talking to two other girls. And then he realized that the red-hooded girl that she was verbally beating on was Ruby.

Ruby his first friend here at Beacon. His first friend in… years really.

And just like that, Jaune had his first crush at Beacon and the end of his first crush at Beacon.

Jaune's nervous smile quickly turned into a frown as he finally made his way close enough to his Snow Angel.

She still thought he was cute though, and he should let her down gently. A man had to take responsibility after all.

The three members of the conversation looked over as Jaune approached. Jaune didn't know the blonde that was standing with Ruby, but he could worry about that later. He had more important things to do.

"Hi there, I heard what you said earlier." He said, looking directly into Snow Angel's eyes.

For her part, she looked nervous and abashed, as if she hadn't wanted him to hear.

' _So cute… Focus Jaune!'_

"Oh… I apologize. You see I was."

Jaune cut off her nervous reply.

"It's fine," he said, a solemn expression on his face. "Sadly my Snow Angel, it was never meant to be."

"What." all three girls involved in the conversation said as they stared at Jaune with a blank look on their faces.

"I'm so sorry. Just know that this was one of the hardest things I've had to do."

"What."

"I hope we can still be friends." Jaune said as he took the white-haired girl's limp hand and patted the top of it sympathetically.

"What?!"

Snow Angel had finally come to her senses, confusion giving way to frustration and fury.

"I wasn't complimenting you, you dolt! That was sarcasm! Wait. Were you turning _me_ down?!"

"What's the problem with that Weiss? You didn't even like him," the blonde chimed in as Weiss proceeded to turn red.

' _Ouch. That kind of hurt…'_ Jaune thought as he realized he had gaffed.

"Oh… so you weren't…"

"NO!"

In his defense, he blamed two years of repressed hormones and puberty finally taking a hold. Two years of hormones and puberty that once they had tried to see the light of day, had quickly been kicked in the nads and retreated into the fetal position.

Jaune also wished he could do the same and curl up and die. Permanently.

"Hrmph!" was all that came out of Weiss' mouth as she turned and stomped away.

That had gone well.

The blonde had thought so, as she was currently keeled over and dying from what appeared to be laughter.

' _At least someone's enjoying this'_ Jaune thought as he scowled at the laughing blonde. If anything his hormones curled up into a tighter ball.

"Ahahaha! It's okay there Lady Killer! Ohmygod that. Was. HILARIOUS!"

Jaune just sighed as he looked over at Ruby had huddled over and pulled her hood over her head. Her hand was covering her mouth, trying to stifle the giggles coming from it.

Welcome to Beacon indeed.

"Wait a minute! You're the guy who threw up on my shoes!"

* * *

 **A/N: Sadly no gratuitous death this chapter. I've noticed that my highest reviewed chapters are the ones with… super-death. But I will not bow down to peer pressure! The blood will not flow (today)!**

 **Let me know if there are any errors! I've been sick the past few days and proofreading is not my specialty.**

 **Anyways as always, thanks for reading, and please review!**


	8. Light Bondage?

Yang Xiao-long flopped into her sleeping bag beside Ruby, the two of them already having changed into their pajamas. She peeked over at her sister's choice of sleeping attire and found it fitting. A black tank-top in contrast to her own orange one, and lounge pants covered in strawberries as opposed to Yang's simple black short-shorts.

All of the new students were spending the night in the school's cafeteria. The tables had been all pushed to the side to make room for all of the student's soon-to-be slumbering forms.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang said as she looked around at the other students.

Ruby was busy writing away in a journal, her pen scratching as she kept her eyes down on the paper. "I'm not sure that dad would approve of all the boys, though."

Yang's eyes settled on a group of guys who had arranged their sleeping bags next to each other. Yang's eyes focused on their choice in pajamas. More specifically, Yang focused on the distinct lack of shirts. As if feeling eyes on them, the shirtless men were flexing their muscles in various poses and wrestling with each other.

"I know I do" Yang said as she practically purred. Her leer was cut off however, as someone walked in front of her view. "Down in front!" Yang said as her eyes finally focused on whoever dared to block her view of so many fine looking examples of the male form.

Instead of some muscle-bound eye candy, she got blonde,tall, and scraggly. Yang personally had nothing against Jaune, but he looked like he had been stuck underground for two years! She noted something was slightly off about the pale, blonde boy as he noticed her looking at him and waved.

Yang waved him over. Jaune looked momentarily confused before shrugging and making his way over. "What's up Yang?"

"How come you haven't changed to your pajamas? It's almost light's out."

Ruby finally looked up and noticed that Yang was right. Jaune was still wearing his black hoodie and jeans. He still even had his chestplate still on.

"Hey yeah! What's up Jaune?" Ruby said as Jaune looked increasingly uncomfortable.

Jaune sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Oh… I uh… sort of lost all my luggage…"

That caught the two sister's interest. "What happened? Is that your only set of clothing?" Yang said as she noted that his clothes did look like they had been lived-in for awhile. The hoodie was covered in amateurish sewing marks, and hastily stitched together thread.

Jaune nodded. "Pretty much." While not having enough time to buy more clothes, Jaune had been lucky enough to get a sewing kit in order to repair the clothes he did have. "I kind of got uh…" _thrown off a moving train and died a horrible death_ "kicked… yeah kicked off a train"

Off in a corner by herself, a girl wearing a black bow momentarily flinched, before going back to pretending to read her book.

Yang noted the awkward pause, her eyes narrowing at Jaune. The blonde boy was hiding something. She also noticed that Jaune had neglected to mention _why_ he had been kicked off the train. Ruby however simply forged on ahead.

"Oh no! That's awful. Just lemme know if there's anything me and Yang can do to help! Like if you need some spare clothes or maybe uh…" Ruby's voice trailed off as she realized who she was talking to. Specifically the gender of who she was talking to.

Yang latched onto her sister's budding embarrassment. It was what older sisters did after all. She shot a wink at Jaune's flustered face, he also having caught onto Ruby's gaffe. "Trying to get into our panties already eh, lady killer?"

Jaune momentarily froze.

* * *

" _Crystal stop making me wear girls clothes!"_

" _But Jaune, you look so cute!"_

" _No means no Crystal!"_

" _C'mon… It's my birthday! You said anything I want and I want this!"_

" _You said last time was the last time!"_

" _But I just got this new dress and it would look perfect on you! Noire! Get over here! We're putting Jaune into a dress!"_

" _Really? Yay! Violet get the panties! We're playing dress-up!"_

* * *

"Yaaaaaaaaang…" Ruby pouted as she smacked Yang with her pillow.

Jaune was broken out of his thoughts as the two sisters began to wrestle on the ground.

"I… uh… I think I'm good." Jaune said as Yang locked Ruby into a headlock, the younger girl squirming to get free.

"So what combat school are you from Vomit Boy? Ruby and me are from Signal."

Jaune shot Yang a glare and she simply shot a grin. Ruby continued to squirm for freedom, but was still met with no success.

"I never went to a combat school." Jaune said with a shrug as Ruby finally squirmed free.

"Who trained you then Jaune?" Ruby asked as she put some distance between herself and her sister. Yang simply stuck her tongue out at Ruby as Ruby did the same.

Jaune had a feeling that the two sisters weren't entirely paying attention to him, as the two continued to make faces at each other. "Just my dad." Glynda and Ozpin had helped him come up with a short back story. Jaune Arc, trained by his Huntsman father instead of a combat school. Short, sweet, and it wouldn't mean any transcripts to forge.

"That's pretty cool. We went to Signal, but we learned the basics from our dad and our uncle." Ruby said as the two sisters finally turned their attention to Jaune.

"You must have been pretty skilled then to get into Beacon without any transcripts," Yang said with a bit of surprise on her voice. Jaune didn't really look like he had any training at all. He looked like a stiff breeze might knock him over.

Jaune's thoughts however had momentarily drifted away the moment Yang had said "skilled".

"Uhm…"

 _Jaune ran forward towards a Grimm before tripping and falling. The grimm simply walked up and stepped on Jaune's head, his skull crunching beneath its paws._

"Well…"

 _Jaune ducked underneath a swing only to also drop his knife. As his hands fumbled with the knife on the ground, the Grimm's jaws clicked shut around his head, before separating it from his body. The now headless body dropped to its knees, as blood began to spurt from his now-beheaded neck._

"I... I wouldn't say…"

 _Jaune leapt through the air, knife firmly in his hand as he tried to land on top of a Grimm. Instead he had mistimed his leap, missing the Grimm by a wide margin. Jaune's leap took him off a cliff, where he plummeted and made a nice, red *splat* at the bottom._

"Skilled really…"

Yang waved off Jaune's comments, thinking he was just trying to be modest.

"Well we'll have to put that to the test won't we?" Yang finished her question with a feral grin, as Jaune visibly gulped. "Oh! H-hey! Look at the time! Gotta go!" Jaune's words babbled out as he turned and ran for his life, Yang's laughter following him as he left.

"Yaaaaang! Look what you did! You made Jaune run away! He's my only friend here!"

"Haha, no worry Rubes! You'll make plenty of friends here. C'mon let big sister Yang help you out!"

Yang grabbed Ruby and proceeded to drag her away, all the while ignoring Ruby's protests.

* * *

Blake's eyes followed Jaune as he quickly retreated from the cafeteria. She had seen him set up his sleeping bag apart from the others, a little bit outside the doors to the cafeteria. She wasn't sure why he had done chosen to sleep apart from the others but that simply made her job easier.

Tonight she was going to get some answers.

She had kept up with pretenses, donning a short yukata for her pajamas. Her black bow remained on her head however, as she sat in a corner pretending to read a book. The difference however was that Gambol Shroud was currently tucked away inside her sleeping bag.

She would have to wait until it got suitably late enough before she moved however, a time when everyone else was asleep and no one could interrupt them.

Her bow twitched momentarily, as the cat ears tied beneath them heard two sets of approaching footsteps.

She looked up to see a blonde girl and the girl who had exploded earlier approaching.

First she'd have to deal with these two. She'd get to Blue-Eyes later.

* * *

Sleeping always came surprisingly easy for Jaune. That act of simply slipping away came not only in sleep but also in death, and Jaune had a lot of practice dying. Really all Jaune had been able to do while bound for two years was to die and to sleep.

Tonight however was just sleeping, the sleeping bag given to him by Beacon was surprisingly comfy and Jaune had quickly curled up in its softness.

He did not dream while he slept this night. He no longer dreamt when he slept any night. When he was first captured, his sleep had been plagued by nightmares. Eventually they shifted to dreams of a peaceful life at home, of freedom and peace. Those dreams too eventually came to pass instead turning to nothing.

At first he had only been able to tell the difference between death and sleep by whether he had dreams or not. Now however, there was no difference and sleep and death had begun to blur together for Jaune.

His dreamless sleep tonight however was interrupted. Jaune's eyes slowly opened, unsure of what had caused him to stir.

He let out a slow yawn as he he tried to roll over and go back to sleep with in his sleeping bag, only to find that he couldn't. He shifted again, trying to find the cause. His wrists were bound, and his ankles were too. The material was oddly soft, but still strong, and would not shift.

He was still in his boxers, having stripped down in order to sleep more comfortably. In short he was tied up in his sleeping bag in nothing but his boxers.

' _Oh god… It's just like Noire's smut book!"_

Jaune had found Noire's smut shortly after he had stumbled upon Crystal's. On that day Jaune had lost most of his innocence.

Today it was looking like he might lose a bit more…

Two golden eyes stared at Jaune out of the darkness, his own eyes just barely able to make out the form of his apparent captor.

"...S-Sakura?" Jaune said as he internally whacked himself for calling out the name of a smut character.

"Shut. Up." The figure said as it slammed a blade into the ground beside Jaune's head. Now that she was closer, Jaune could see that the person was a she, and that was about it. Despite them being so close together, she had still managed to hide in the shadows, her face hidden in the dark.

' _Oh god. It's exactly like that smut book. Which means…_ ' Jaune gulped as he remembered what had happened next in the book.

"I ask the questions understand?" The woman asked as Jaune's face slowly began to heat up as his fantasies began to run away with themselves.

' _Is she going to quote the entire book word for word or something?!'_

Not trusting his voice, Jaune simply nodded. He could feel his face burning as he remembered the rest of this scene from the smut book.

"Answer my questions and you won't get hurt." Check.

"If I think you're lying, I won't hesitate to hurt you." Check.

"Cooperate, and I'm sure we'll get along just fine. Understand?" Aaaaaand check.

Jaune nodded as his brain momentarily stopped working. This woman was pretty much reenacting Noire's smut book word for word. That meant that eventually what happened in all smut books would happen to him. They were gonna doink. They were gonna doink hard in a scene that had completely destroyed Jaune's innocence. It was going to be hot. It was doing be heavy. It was going to be lewd in a way Jaune's teenage mind still couldn't comprehend.

Jaune was not ready. He also had no choice, just like Takeru from the book. Tied up, he was at the pervert's mercy.

"Just please… be gentle…" Jaune said as he looked away, unable to look into the golden eyes that held him in bondage. For all the things that Jaune had suffered, he was still innocent in the ways of the world. Chief among them was love and sex.

"I'll be gentle as long as you cooperate," the voice said although in a more soothing tone. The intimidation part of the interrogation was however, now she would get her answers.

"I just never thought my first time would be like this…" Jaune said as he closed his eyes in mortification.

That gave the figure pause. Blue-Eyes had thought about what his first interrogation would be like?

"W-With… with a _pervert_."

What.

"My parents always told me you shouldn't do stuff like this unless it was with someone you love."

What.

"I thought I'd find a girl, take her on a few dates, fall in love…"

What.

"And then maybe finally on a moonlit night, we'd… consummate our relationship."

What?

Wait.

"I didn't want it to be with someone I don't know reenacting a scene from some smut book for their jollies!"

What?! Oh god. It was just like _Ninjas of Love!_ When Sakura first traps Takeru…

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, nonononono.

"Just please… be gentle…" Jaune finished as his blush darkened, unseeing of the same deep blush that was forming on the face of his captor.

With a strangled cry, the figure grabbed their blade and sprinted away, the material bounding Jaune also leaving with them.

Jaune peeked open his eyes, seeing the retreating form of his would-be lover. "Sakura?" He said, unsure of what had happened. Hearing no response, Jaune let out a sigh. That was close. As much as he had protested, that was a chance for him to finally lose his virginity. Another chance may never come along, especially his luck with the ladies.

"I'm going to die a virgin…" Jaune said as he flopped back into his bed. "Wait.. I've already died… Dammit! I've already died a virgin! Multiple times!" Jaune said with a wail as he tried to hide back inside of his sleeping bag.

He hoped whoever had approached him was having a better night.

"She seemed kind of familiar though…"

* * *

Blake Belladonna was having the worst night. That was not how an interrogation was supposed to go! She had conducted many similar ones while still in the White Fang, her questions usually swiftly being answered.

Her face burned as she realized what Blue-Eyes had thought was happening and she couldn't blame him. Running over their conversation, she realized she had pretty much reproduced the scene in question word for word.

She dove back into her sleeping bag as she tried to hide her face from the world. Curse Blue-eyes! She would never forget this embarrassment. The next interrogation would not be the same!

* * *

Jaune spent the rest of the night and the rest of the morning unmolested. That was Jaune's own personal preference in regards to being molested and he was hoping it would stay that way.

Right now however, he was trying to find his locker.

"636…. 636… Where the hell is locker 636?!" Jaune was already wearing his armor, and his hunting knife was still strapped to his thigh.

Crocea Mors however was still stuck in his locker.

"This is ridiculous! There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday! I would've remembered having to count that high!" Jaune cursed his misfortune as he continued to stalk around the locker room, still searching in vain.

Two familiar faces caught his eye however, and he made his way over hoping for some help.

"Hey Ruby. Hey Yang." He said as the two sisters turned to greet him.

"Hey Vomit Boy."

"Hey Jaune, how'd you sleep?"

Jaune blew a raspberry at Yang, before turning to address Ruby. "It was all rig- wait! You two have to be careful!" Jaune placed a hand on Yang and Ruby's shoulders. The two sisters noted the grim look on Jaune's face, and they felt themselves worry a little.

Jaune looked around conspiratorially for a little while, before motioned the two sisters closer.

Ruby and Yang leaned in expectantly, wondering what had gotten their new friend so riled up.

"There's a _pervert_ here at Beacon!"

A certain girl with a black-bow flinched as she stood in front of her locker, her bow twitching as she tried to listen in on the conversation.

Ruby and Yang simply looked blankly at Jaune.

"A wha-"

"A pervert! Last night! They tied me up.. A-and…"

"And?"

"They t-tried to do stuff with me…"

Jaune hung his head in shame and shyness, unable to meet the eyes of the two in front of him.

Ruby turned to Yang. "Yang, what kind of 'stuff' is Jaune talking about?"

Yang laughed nervously. "Ahehe. D-don't you worry about it Ruby! Oh hey! Look at that sword thing!"

"Where!" Ruby said, effectively distracted from the potentially disturbing talk they would need to have.

"Not a word to Ruby, understand?" Yang said as she put her finger in Jaune's face. Jaune simply gulped as he nodded.

"U-understood… Uhm…"

"What?"

"Could you help me find my locker?"

* * *

Yang had helpfully pointed Jaune on his way, desperate to end the conversation.

His locker had actually been a lot closer than he had thought, and now Crocea Mors was comfortably strapped to his hip. Feeling a little better with his family weapon strapped to his hip, Jaune made to leave, only to stop.

In his way stood Weiss chatting with a red-haired girl. Weiss the girl he had thought was attracted to him yesterday. Weiss the girl he had made an idiot of himself in front of. That Weiss.

Jaune sighed as he continued to make his way over, he needed to get this over with.

"Hey Weiss." He said as he walked closer. Weiss stopped chatting with the red-haired girl and turned to face Jaune, only for her eyes to narrow as soon as she sw who it was.

"You…"

"Hehehe… me" Jaune said as Weiss's face somehow turned even darker.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy talking?" Weiss said as she folded her arms in front of her.

"Oh I'm sorry! Well I actually wanted to say sorr- I mean. Uh… Hi, my name's Jaune." Jaune bailed from his apology, already sensing that it would fail from the thunderous look on Weiss's face. Instead he turned to the girl that Weiss was talking to previously.

He extended his hand in greeting, as the girl did the same. "Nice to meet you Jaune!" Jaune continued to hold her hand, waiting for her name. Silence passed between them, as they continued to hold hands. Jaune broke first, it was just becoming too awkward. "And your name is…"

That seemed to draw Weiss back into the conversation. "Don't you know who you are talking to?!"

Jaune looked at the flustered Weiss, and then back at the slightly blushing girl who had noticed how long they had been holding hands.

"Uh… no?" Jaune said as he shot a confused look at the blushing girl. A brief look of surprise came on Pyrrha's face, before morphing into a beautiful smile. Weiss however was not smiling.

"That is _the_ Pyrrha Nikos!"

"Uh… who?" If anything, the smile on Pyrrha's face grew wider. "Hello again!" she said as she continued to shake Jaune's hand.

"Oh! Hi Pyrrha. I was sort of waiting for you to introduce yourself," he said giving Pyrrha's hand one last shake before letting go.

"Oh! I'm so sorry I-" Pyrrha said as she blushed once more, but this time in embarrassment.

Jaune cut her off with a smile. "It's fine! Don't worry about it."

Pyrrha smiled in return. "Well I-"

This time Pyrrha was interrupted by Weiss. "How could you not know who Pyrrha Nikos is? She graduated top of her class in Sanctum!"

"A What-tum?"

This only seemed to anger Weiss further. "She won the Mistral regional tournament four years in a row! A new record!"

"The what?"

Weiss's face was practically red with rage as her arms began to wave about wildly. " She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

That caught Jaune's attention. He gasped as he looked at Pyrrha in a new light. " Wow! But they only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

Pyrrha smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, it was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you."

Jaune smiled dreamily as he thought back to his memories of eating the cereal. "Yeah, they're the best…"

Weiss simply huffed at him. "That's what catches your attention? Have you been living in a cave or something?"

"Well…." _I guess the lab was kind of underground_ "technically yes?"

As Weiss continued to berate Jaune, Pyrrha looked at Jaune with a cunning glint in her eye.

' _Bingo'_

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the later than usual update, and thanks for all the kind reviews! It's heartwarming to see that you all like me for something** _ **aside**_ **from all the gore.**

 **I actually had this whole chapter written before I ended up deleting everything because it was no good. As a result, this chapter probably hasn't been properly proofread and there maybe several writing errors. If you spot any let me know!**

 **As always, thanks for reading and please review!**

 **And as a gift, an omake of an idea that I wish I could retcon in.**

* * *

 **Omake:**

Jaune sat nervously in front of his father. He had finally made it home after two years, and he was unbelievably happy. He was going to have to leave again however, and his father did not look happy.

Brun Arc sat in front of Jaune, in his hands was Crocea Mors. He briefly rubbed his perfectly coiffed blonde mustache as he regarded his son in front of him. He didn't know what his son had gone through, nor did he know what he was going through. All that he knew was that he couldn't help his son. Not directly anyways.

That meant he'd have to help invigorate Jaune's spirit. And as a man, there was really only one way to get that point across.

Brun's Arc's body tensed, and Jaune looked at his father worriedly. All of the sudden Brun's body began to bulge as his muscles began to tense. Jaune slowly began to inch away.

Brun's shirt burst forth from his body, unable to contain what was within. He flexed his muscles, shredding the clothes ripping away from his body into shreds. His biceps swelled, his back was rippling with muscle, his abs were rock-hard and his pecs were dancing as he flexed them.

He unsheathed his sword, as both he and the blade began to sparkle.

" **THIS SWORD HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARC LINE FOR GENERATIONS!"**

Jaune tried to scoot away, only to find himself backed up against the wall as his father's muscles continued flexing at him.

" **SEE THIS BODY! FLAWLESSLY SCULPTED IN THE SERVICE OF THE PEOPLE."**

Brun Arc pressed his bulging muscles against Jaune's face as he continued to flex.

" **FEEL HOW THEY PULSE WITH LOYALTY! HOW SOLID AND SERIOUS THEY ARE! FEEL!"**

Jaune was crying as he tried to squirm away, only to be met with failure.

" **DO YOU UNDERSTAND SON?"**

* * *

 **I really regret only having thought of this after the fact. Major Armstrong as Jaune's father would be amaaaazing.**


	9. Aura?

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm glad everyone liked the Arcstrong version of Jaune's dad (I'm loving that name).

I'm probably not going to retcon him in however. I like Brun's current role as a sort of no-nonsense everyman who just does his duty, and that'll play a key role in Jaune's characterization later one.

However I will say that whenever Brun shows up, I will also most likely throw in an Arcstrong omake! So there's that.

In general I'm probably not going to change much in earlier chapters, probably just grammar errors.

Speaking of grammar errors! I also haven't had much time to proofread this chapter. So please please please let me know if you find any mistakes! Fear my total disregard of the creative writing process! Kidding. I'll try to keep up a decent amount of quality, but I can't promise there won't be any errors.

Anyways.

Thanks for reading and please review!

* * *

Jaune had thought that the Initiation would be a peaceful thing. He thought that they were going to cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest for the scenic views and to set the ambience. Maybe there would be a metaphor or two. Granted he had been a little bit suspicious when Ozpin and Glynda had directed him onto some kind of platform, but he thought that the platform was going to symbolize something.

He hadn't thought it was actually a launch platform and that he was going to get shot through the air like a beanbag.

Oddly enough, it seemed like all the other students weren't fazed at all when the first student was launched through the air. There was nary a gasp or scream as yet another student was jettisoned through the air like some sort of bad spy movie.

Jaune gestured wildly at Glynda Goodwitch, hoping to catch her attention. He figured she would be more forthcoming with answers rather than Ozpin. His wild gesticulations were answered by Glynda turning her head to look at Jaune. Their eyes briefly locked, and for a moment Jaune thought she might actually come over and answer her question.

Then she looked away.

Jaune's eyes narrowed as he glared at Glynda, knowing that she was choosing to ignore him. Glynda for her part didn't look bothered at all at being stared down by an immortal, unimposing as he may be.

'That bit-' *TWANG*

Jaune's thoughts were interrupted by a high-tension spring. Specifically a spring that had just sent him flying into the Emerald Forest.

Jaune mentally sighed as he felt a familiar rush of air on his face.

'Only one thing to do now…'

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos was a woman with a plan.

Step one, stick the landing. That part was easy, leaving Pyrrha perched on the branch of a tree barren of any leaves and giving her an excellent view of the entire area.

Step two, find the target. That part was also easy. Pyrrha peered down the scope of her trusty rifle Milo. The crosshairs were centered on a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy flipping through the air.

Step three, secure the target. That part was a little bit more complicated… Pyrrha shifted her grip on Milo, the red and gold rifle beginning to fold and elongate. Pyrrha held out her left to aim, her right arm now holding Milo in its javelin form. Her form was perfect, her arm strong, and her eyes easily tracking their target. Then Pyrrha hesitated.

She lowered Milo, her eyes watching the rapidly disappearing form of one Jaune Arc. It would be too dangerous to throw Milo now. Her original plan had been to use her javelin to pin Jaune into a tree, securing him and giving her time to pick him up before anyone else got there. The problem was not that Jaune was too far, or that he was moving too fast. It's that he was flipping.

This wasn't a lazy sort of flipping through the air that a rag doll might do. No. Jaune had curled himself into a ball, and was doing his best impression of high-diver. He had clutched his knees to his chest, rapidly spinning himself as he flew through the air.

Pyrrha might have been able to pierce Jaune's hood safely. That was a very big 'might' however, and Pyrrha wasn't about to risk accidentally killing her future partner. There was a whole multitude of things that could go wrong. She could accidentally hit him in the neck, or even the face!

The thought of her long, hard rod possibly piercing him in his nether regions made Pyrrha shiver. Not in anticipation.

With step three jeopardized, Pyrrha let out a sigh as she jumped down from her perch. Landing in a crouch, Pyrrha began to sprint in the direction where Jaune most likely landed.

She was going through a lot of trouble to get Jaune as her partner. She had a feeling it'd be worth it.

* * *

Jaune had gone 'flying' multiple times since he had been free. There was that time he fell off a cliff, that time with a Nevermore, that other time he had fallen off a cliff… Suffice to say, Jaune had a lot of experience falling through the air.

After the third or fourth time, Jaune had thought the experience of flying and then splatting had gotten slightly… stale. So to pass the time between his feet left the ground and when his spleen would most likely meet the ground, Jaune had come up with a little game.

The game was called "Try and get as many flips as possible before your butt meets your neck".

'41… 42… 43…' *SPLAT*

Jaune's flipping was brought to an end by a particularly sturdy tree. His body crunched into the bark, the small bits of food cutting into his skin as he slammed face first into the tree, his body unfurling on impact.

His face caved in upon impact, blood gushing from his crushed nose. His neck snapped back, the back of his head bet his spine as the rest of his body continued to spin until his feet hit the wood above his head.

Jaune's body froze in place for a brief moment, stuck in the tree, before gravity took effect. As his body slipped out of the dent he had made, his body righted itself out of its contortionist death pose.

He landed unsteadily, but wholly on the bough below him, the branch managing to take his weight. The damage was already gone, his face restored, and his neck unsnapped. He pulled a rag out of his pocket, wiping the blood that was still on his face.

"Dammit." Jaune grimaced as he looked out over the Emerald Forest. The wind ruffled his blonde-hair as his left hand came to rest on Crocea Mors strapped to his hip. "My record's 45… This day is already going horribly."

At least the view was nice, Jaune thought as he looked out over what parts of the forest that he could see. He didn't have enough time to enjoy the view however, he still had an initiation to go through. He did have to play the part of a student after all.

"Why couldn't they have just made me a janitor or something…" Jaune thought as he looked down towards the ground. There was still quite a ways down, but he wasn't certain if it would kill him outright.

Jaune stepped off the branch, getting ready to land face first into the ground. It was right then that he heard a rustling as someone began to come into view of the tree. 'Crap! A student! I can't die in front of them.' Jaune's hand shot out and grabbed the branch he was standing on, leaving him dangling from the branch on one arm.

White-hair was the first thing Jaune saw, as Weiss stepped into the clearing, looking around for the source of noise from earlier. She looked up. Her light-blue eyes met with Jaune's bright blue eyes, their gazes locked. Jaune held a hand up to wave awkwardly as he hung from his branch, only for Weiss to turn away.

"Nope." Weiss said as she turned back the way she came. Ruby came bursting after Weiss, and for a moment Jaune's hope went back up. Four years with Ruby didn't sound bad at all. His hopes were quickly dashed however, as Weiss reached over and snagged Ruby by the hood, dragging the younger girl with her.

"Or not…" Jaune said as he watched the two figures of white and red walk away. He sighed as he waited for the two girls to get out sight. He hoped he could get out of this tree soon.

His ears perked up for a brief moment, before his shoulders slumped back down and he sighed. Someone else was coming.

* * *

Pyrrha had made good time. Great time even. She vaulted over a fallen tree, landing in a crouch before sprinting once more. Despite her aggressive pace however, Pyrrha's breathing was only slightly haggard. It wouldn't do to show up in front of her new partner while she was all out of breath after all.

Her target was already in sight, hanging from a tree branch. She stopped just out of his range of view, taking a brief moment to catch her breath. This would be what set the tone for the next four years after all. This would be who she would be hanging out with, sharing secrets with, who she'd be trusting in for the next four years.

She idly brushed her hair out of her face, her nerves only showing very briefly before she clamped back down on them. She took a deep breath, before she walked into Jaune's view.

"Hello again." Pyrrha said as she looked up at the dangling boy.

Jaune looked down, blue-eyes meeting the green-eyes of his partner. His partner. Jaune was practically giddy.

"Oh hey Pyrrha, how's it hanging." Jaune said with a grin and a little chuckle at his own pun.

A grin quickly grew on Pyrrha's face as she smiled up at Jaune. This was the man who would be her partner for the next four years.

'Oh god he's perfect.'

"I don't suppose you could help me down?"

* * *

With Jaune successfully no longer hanging from a tree, the two new partners set off towards their goal. Find a temple hidden in the forest, then find a relic, take the relic, and then head home. Seemed simple enough.

"You sure you know where you're going Pyrrha?" Jaune asked as they continued to walk through the forest with Pyrrha in the lead.

Pyrrha continued walking forward, Milo having changed into its sword form and held in her right as she held her shield Akouo in her left. She brushed a branch out of her way with her shield as she continued forward.

"Yes, Jaune. I'm sure. Trust me on this!"

Jaune looked behind, not paying attention to the way forward as gunshots ran in the background. Seems like someone else had run into trouble.

"I mean if you say so Pyrrha, but I did just you meet you li-" *THWACK*

Pyrrha's eyes widened as the sound of branch on flesh came to her ears. The branch! She had just let it go and it looked like it had hit Jaune. Her new partner who she had already hit with a branch. She had been so busy trying to show to him how useful she was, she hadn't been paying attention to something so stupid as a branch!

She whirled around, an apology already on her lips. "I'm sor-" The apology died on her lips as she looked back at Jaune. The branch had scratched deep into the side of his face, barely missing his eye. Multiple red angry marks shed red tears as his blood began to leak onto his face.

"-ry…" Pyrrha finished with a small voice as she looked at her unperturbed partner.

Jaune looked blankly at Pyrrha, wondering why they had stopped. And why Pyrrha kept on staring at his face. "What's up Pyrrha? Oh shoot! Is there something on my face?" Jaune reached a hand up, his fingers coming away with slicks of red.

"Oh hey, I'm bleeding." Jaune said as he tried to wipe his fingers off on the branch already slick with his blood.

Pyrrha finally found her voice as Jaune continued trying to shake his finger off. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay Jaune?" She stepped forward, her gloved hand coming up towards Jaune's face. It stopped just short however, as Pyrrha looked at the scratches that marred Jaune's face.

"Uhm… yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" Jaune said, this time returning Pyrrha's worried gaze with one of confusion.

"You're bleeding!"

"And?"

Pyrrha just gaped at Jaune. Not sure what was going on. He was bleeding all along his face. "Please Jaune! Don't try and act macho!" Not that Pyrrha was even sure he could act macho. He was so thin and pale… like he hadn't gone outside in years.

"Wait…" Pyrrha's eyes were drawn back to the bleeding lines on Jaune's face. "Why didn't your aura protect you?"

"My what?"

* * *

Glynda's eyes were trained on the video feed in front of her, her eyes stuck on the apparent immortal that had just waltzed into her life. Multiple feeds were displayed on the Scroll in her hands, but only one had her attention.

"Ozpin, are you watching this?"

Ozpin took another sip of coffee, his normally impassive face staring intently at the screen.

"I thought with his immortality…" Glynda's voice trailed off, thinking about the implications of what they were watching. The tiny Pyrrha on-screen was explaining to Jaune what aura.

Aura, along with the explosive Dust that powered much of their weaponry, was one of a Huntsman's greatest weapons in their arsenal. A manifestation of one's very soul, an almost mystical energy that let them perform inhuman feats and to stand head and shoulders above the average person.

A powerful weapon that also granted its user a semblance, a unique power. A more tangible representation of their soul imposing its will upon the world.

Jaune's semblance was supposed to be immortality. There was only one problem.

"In order to unlock one's semblance, one must first unlock their aura." Ozpin said, finishing Glynda's thoughts. In order for the soul to express itself through a semblance, it first had to be free to do so.

"What does this mean Ozpin?" Glynda said, her eyes stuck watching Jaune and Pyrrha on the screen in her hands.

For once, Ozpin had no answer, as he too stared at the Scroll. He only had questions, with one burning prominently in his mind.

'What is Jaune Arc'

* * *

Jaune listened as Pyrrha explained to him what this aura stuff was. One thing stuck out in his mind from Pyrrha's explanation. "Everyone has aura. Even animals." Her words rang in his mind.

"Even monsters?" Jaune asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Pyrrha shook her head. "No. The monsters we fight lack a soul, they are empty husks of nothing but darkness and anonymity. They are the Grimm, and we who use aura are the light that must fight them."

To Pyrrha their conversation was nothing more than an educational lecture, or perhaps a topic argued about by philosophers and scientists alike. Aura was mystery as were the Grimm and the topic had been discussed extensively in academia.

For Jaune, the conversation was the most important thing in the world right then. Monsters lacked aura. Monsters lacked a soul. Monsters were empty husks of nothing.

Aura was what separated monsters from everyone else, and from what Pyrrha had explained about aura… He didn't have it. He needed to be sure.

He licked his lips, his mouth suddenly becoming drier than it should have been. "H-How… How do you know if you have aura?"

Pyrrha gave him a smile, as if lecturing a small child. "I just told you Jaune. Everyone has it."

Jaune could feel his sanity sinking. If everyone had it… and he didn't… Where did that leave him? His mind flashed back to Clover and Verdan, their eyes full of fear as they stared at something… inhuman.

"You just have to unlock it."

What.

Jaune moved closer to Pyrrha, his hands grabbing her shoulders. "What."

Pyrrha looked away and blushed at the sudden close proximity of Jaune's body. "You just have to unlock it." She looked back towards Jaune, still nervous at how close he was. " I-I… I could unlock it for you if you'd like."

Jaune let go of Pyrrha, stepping back as his face went blank.

The answer should have been obvious. Go with the power-up, the super force-field that every Huntsman had.

Ugly tendrils of doubt began to worm their way into Jaune's mind.

A question was on his mind. A question that had always been there, ever since he had first woken up in that lab and realized what had happened.

Was he even human anymore? Was he ever even human? Were Clover and Verdan right? Did he… did he even have a soul?

Jaune was afraid. He was terrified. If Pyrrha were to try and unlock his aura, it would let him know if he was actually human, or if he was just some… thing trying to play at being human.

He felt himself take a step back, fear taking control of his body.

He couldn't even remember the last time he had taken a step back. Whether it was jumping off of a cliff or into the jaws of waiting Grimm he had never hesitated. This was one step he could not take.

At least not by himself.

Jaune felt a warm hand grab his own, stopping both his physical and mental retreat. Pyrrha's warm gaze and smile greeted him, her hand squeezing Jaune's tightly. "It's okay Jaune. I don't mind. " Her hand gave one more comforting squeeze as the two stared into each other's eyes.

"I'll be here for you."

Jaune looked back into Pyrrha's eyes, his own expression unreadable. He clenched his jaw, looking down for a brief moment before looking back up. Pyrrha saw a multitude of emotions in his eyes.

Hesitation. Fear. Courage. Hope. Determination.

Gratitude.

He gave a timid smile, giving Pyrrha's hand a squeeze in return before finally nodding.

"Close your eyes."

Jaune took a shaky breath before closing his eyes like asked. Jaune felt Pyrrha's other hand coming up to rest on the side of his head.

Pyrrha gave one last smile at Jaune, before she also closed her own eyes. A faint red glow began to surround Pyrrha as her aura began to show itself.

Elsewhere, Glynda and Ozpin stared intently at the video feed, unable to look away.

The words came unbidden into Pyrrha's mind. She chanted the words in her mind as the silence of the forest surrounded her and Jaune.

'For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee.'

She felt her aura bleeding into Jaune's form, attempting to spark his own aura into being.

All of the sudden, her strength gave way from her legs. She dropped to the ground, only to be held up by a strong grip. She opened her eyes to two arms covered in a warm white light.

"Oh, thank you Jaune. Your aura took a lot of mine to unlock."

Hearing no answer, Pyrrha looked up only to see silent tears on Jaune's face.

His blue-eyes glistened with tears as he pulled Pyrrha in close for a tight hug. Pyrrha awkwardly returned the hug, looking over her shoulder in concern.

"Are you alright Jaune? I didn't hurt you did I?"

Jaune simply shook his head, squeezing Pyrrha harder.

"I'm fine… Just… thanks…"

Pyrrha simply smiled before leaning into the hug. "You're welcome Jaune."

* * *

A/N: And no I didn't have Pyrrha not kill Jaune just to spite all of you :P. Don't worry, though, there will be more Jaune death! There actually won't be too much gratuitous student-on-Jaune murders however. He is trying to keep his cover after all.


	10. Assless Chaps?

**A/N: Sorry about the super long delay guys and the semi-short chapter. Well long for me anyways. Updates will be a bit more sparse now that I have to do actual work at my job now that training has finished. I'll do my best to keep up the updates however, coupled with my complete disregard towards the writing process in order to get it all done.**

 **As always thanks for reading and please review!**

 **Criticism and grammar corrections are always appreciated.**

 **Also as an apology for not updating in awhile, I left a gift at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

 **-Past: Three Days after Clover and Verdan-**

Jaune stared warily at the giant scorpion… thing that was standing in front of him. Verdan's hunting knife was held loosely in his right, while the clothes they had given him were still colored with the remnants of Jaune's blood.

It had only been a few days since Jaune had saved Verdan and Clover. It had only been a few days since Jaune had left them.

He had been walking non-stop, eager to get away and eager to get to his destination. Home.

He knew the rough way, the rough direction. That was not what made the journey rough however, rather it was the things he ran into along the way.

Like said giant scorpion thing.

Jaune flipped the blade over, holding it in a reverse grip as he raised the knife in front of him. The scorpion easily dwarfed Jaune with it's size, The many red eyes dotting the front of it's literally monstrous frame were all zeroed in on the skinny, pale boy in front of it.

The dense white bone that was constant in all Grimm, covered the entirety of the scorpion's back. It presented a menacing white armor covered in red swirls, that Jaune was certain that his knife would have no chance of penetrating. He had learned his lesson from the ursa major he had fought, his knife simply bouncing off its bone-white armor.

His grip on the knife handle tightened, as he took a steadying breath. He'd find a way.

He ran towards the beast, knowing that a forward assault like this was foolish, but he knew it wouldn't matter in the end.

His suspicions were confirmed, a claw shooting forward faster than Jaune thought possible. p. The hunting knife attempted to block it, but it did nothing to stop the pincers shutting tight around both it and Jaune his shoulder to his hip.

' _Sort of similar to the ursa'_ Jaune thought as its grip crushed down upon his body, blood already spurting out as the claws dug deep into his body. Then his world went dark.

The scorpion's giant yellow stinger had lodged itself through the top of Jaune's head, the tip of its stinger poking through the bottom. It yanked it out to a shower of blood, as its claw let go of the still twitching bloody mass.

Then the twitches were replaced, as the body launched forward. Jaune's eyes were wide and bright, intent on their target. His knife stabbed forward. The scorpion was down one eye.

Jaune pulled the knife back, intent on sinking it back into another eye. As he brought his arm forward for another stab, he felt a familiar grip crushing his body. This was quickly followed by a familiar stinging sensation in his brain.

Jaune came back to several yards away from the scorpion, rolling to a stop as he came to his feet. The scorpion had flung his corpse away this time instead of dropping it.

' _Looks like it can learn…'_

Jaune shot forward once more. The scorpion easily saw him coming, its claws moving once more to crush him.

They missed.

' _I can learn too'_

Jaune's came out of the slide underneath its claws, his knife once more sinking into one of its many eyes.

He pulled the blade free, falling onto his back underneath the second claw that had snared him the last time. This time his knife bit into the underside of the claw, the beast pulling it back in a surprising show of timidness.

Then came the stinging.

Jaune saw the stinger plunge deep into his stomach, and the the ground pull away from him as the tail lifted him up. Then his world began to spin.

This time Jaune came to with his back again a tree, it's wood cracked and splintered as the scorpion's tail finished its swing.

Jaune stood back up, looking distastefully at the hole punched through his shirt. His even paler stomach was revealed to the world, his belly button staring back at him.

That had been his only shirt.

He dashed forward once more, a thirst for vengeance pushing him even faster than he usually ran.

The same claw as before, dodged in the same way as before.

A knife thrust, this time bouncing off its white shell as it averted its eyes.

A second claw, this time avoided with a step back before a knife swing bit into the exposed bottom claw.

A descending stinger, deftly avoided with yet another step to the side.

This time however, Jaune grabbed onto the stinger, as it lifted itself from the ground. Then Jaune flew.

The tail flung Jaune high and away, his flight being stopped short by yet another tree.

Brushing himself off as he stood back up, Jaune looked at his mangled left arm, his fore arm having snapped clean in two and flopping at his side.

"Why couldn't it have just killed me…" Jaune said as he stumbled forward. He caught himself as he looked down at a trembling leg. It looked like his ankle had also become sprained from his sudden landing.

He continued to hobble forward, his his injuries simply nagging away at him as he walked towards his next death.

The death was similar to all the others. A pincer crushed him. A stinger ended him. Then he woke up next to yet another broken tree.

When Jaune rose this time, his left arm was fixed and he no longer limped.

This time when Jaune shot forward, he had a new plan in mind.

A claw, dodged. A second claw, side stepped. A scuttle back, met with Jaune's step forward. A step to the side, beginning before the stinger had even truly begun its descent. A hand grabbing onto the stinger.

This time the moment Jaune saw the beast began to tug, he let go, using the force to add lift to his jump. He landed feet first on what appeared to be the scorpion's neck, before he slipped.

Jaune cursed his clumsiness as he landed on his stomach, grabbing on to a bony protrusion with his free hand. Immortal he may be, but Jaune was still Jaune.

"What to do n-"

Jaune's musings were interrupted by a searing pain coursing through his body. A pain he had felt many times before in the lab. Poison.

"W-where…" Jaune tried to move, the poison coursing through his veins, only to feel his body tug at something. He looked back to see the Grimm's stinger lodged in his body. His body had been penetrated by the stinger, letting the insidious poison flow into his body.

Specifically, Jaune's butt. The yellow stinger was lodged into the place where Jaune's butt had formerly been, the penetration completely destroying his nether regions.

The poison worked quickly, Jaune's vision of his destroyed behind quickly going to dark.

He came back to an even more terrifying sight. His resurrection coincided with the Grimm's raised stinger preparing to descend onto Jaune's defenseless and now exposed glutes.

"Aw hell n-" Jaune tried to shuffle away, only for the stinger to descend. This time, it punched a hole through his leg, it's withdrawal tearing the lower half of his leg clean off. Jaune saw the stinger getting ready to fall once more. He flipped backwards, trying to get away.

A familiar stinging sensation came, accompanied by a familiar burning sensation. Jaune looked back, already knowing what he would see. Yet another strike had seen the stinger lodged into his behind.

"W-Why… the… b-butt…" Jaune asked weakly as the poison once more claimed his life.

Jaune's return to the world was once again accompanied by a mad scramble. Jaune didn't know where he was crawling to on the scorpion's back, he just knew that he would rather not get stabbed in the butt again.

He saw the tail flex, coiling up for a strike. Jaune grimaced as he prepared for the eventual butt stabbing.

…

…

Jaune looked around confusedly. He was near the base of the scorpion's tail, he could see its powerful dark muscles flexing as it continued to strike again and again.

There was no pain however, no stabbing sensation, no burning of poison, nothing.

Jaune looked backwards, and saw the stinger striking the ground near him, but able to strike no closer.

He looked up, seeing the tail curve in as much as it possibly could in an attempt to strike Jaune's fleshy bits.

"Huh," Jaune said as he continued watching the scorpion struggle, it scuttling about in reckless abandon as it tried to wreak havoc upon Jaune's body.

His hand was currently wrapped around both his knife and a bony protrusion in a literal death-grip.

"I guess… I'm safe?" Jaune thought as he moved into a crouched position. Well as safe as one could be on the back of a giant monster scorpion.

His eye quickly caught a flash of vulnerable black flesh in-between the plates of armor. A thought came.

Jaune slid a little bit closer, his grip still sure. He spotted an opening in-between the shell plates close to the base of the scorpion's tail.

"An eye for an eye… a butt for a butt…" Jaune whispered to himself as a maniacal gleam came into his eye. Sure it wasn't the scorpion's _actual_ butt, but Jaune would take what he could get.

Jaune felt a gleeful cackle come to his lips as he sunk his steel into the scorpion's 'butt' over and over again.

Vengeance was sweet.

Unfortunately vengeance was a bit too sweet.

Drunk off of revenge, Jaune never noticed what was happening to the deathstalker. The creature grew more and more frantic, the incessant stabbing driving it ever forward in an attempt to escape its prey turned tormentor.

Then it saw salvation. To be correct it saw a cliff.

It ran over the cliff, uncaring of the consequences, Jaune's maniacal laughter continuing as the two plummeted to their deaths.

One a giant, Grimm scorpion. The other a cackling, young, blonde man wearing assless chaps.

* * *

 **-Present Day: Beacon Initiation-**

Pyrrha stared at her partner, a hint of concern in her eyes. They had wandered into this cave, thinking it might hold the relic they were searching for in order to pass the initiation. Pyrrha was beginning to think they had wandered into the wrong cave.

Jaune was currently staring at a strange yellow rock that was dangling in the dark of the cave. A torch was held aloft in his hand, it's light managing to illuminate the cave much, but not reveal much about the mysterious item in front of her.

Pyrrha had a feeling the glowing bulb wasn't the relic they were looking for, in fact it reminded her oddly of a scorpion's stinger.

What she was really worried about however, was the disturbing glint in Jaune's eye. It was a glint of madness that Pyrrha had only seen a few times before, usually held in the eyes of opponents who were about to come up with an insane plan for victory. None of them worked of course, and Pyrrha was a little worried to see a similar look in her new partner's eyes.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha called out, the grip on her weapons tightening as she drew closer to the pale boy. "I think we should get out of here."

Jaune's eyes stayed focus on the bulb, the glint only seeming to shine brighter. An equally insane grin began to stretch its way across his face, threatening to split it into two.

"It's alright Pyrrha… I've got an idea. Could you humor me for five more minutes?"

Pyrrha hesitated, before slowly nodding.

She regretted it immediately.

* * *

Yang Xiao-long was feeling pretty good about her day so far. Blake Belladonna, her new partner walked beside her and from what she could tell the black bow wearing, black-haired girl in black was a strong fighter with a good head on her shoulders. It had been relatively easy for the two of them to cut their way through the Grimm of the forest, encountering no real resistance along the way.

They had finally found a stone platform in the center of a clearing. Old stone columns covered in moss surrounded it, and similar looking ruins were visible in the distance. Ruins in a forest. Likely the forest ruins they were looking for, with a number of golden chess pieces on them, obviously the relics they were looking for.

Yang Xiao-long was feeling pretty good about things right then.

That good mood was ruined by a rumbling in the distance, as her and Blake's eyes were drawn to _something_ crashing through the forest, felling trees in its wake.

An ursa finally came bursting through the forest line, roaring and flailing about as it stumbled forward.

Then it fell dead.

From the back of the ursa hopped a small girl with orange hair, a pink skirt and a collared black vest. What drew Yang's eyes however was the giant hammer the girl held aloft in one hand.

"Did that girl just come in riding on the back of an ursa?" Blake said as the two girls stared at the newcomer dumbly.

Shortly thereafter a boy in all green came running up, his breath haggard. He had magenta eyes and one of his bangs also dyed the same color. Normally this would have been something Yang latched on to tease mercilessly but _damn_ the boy somehow managed to pull it off and make it work. He leaned over onto his knees as he began to say something at the girl, who simply seemed to skip around him.

"Please… Nora…. Don't ever do that again…" was all Yang's ears caught as the boy struggled to regain his breath. She felt a little sorry for him. With a partner like that… the next four years were sure to be interesting...

All four of their eyes were once more drawn to the tree line as something began to work its way over to them as well. Whatever it was was mowing down more trees than Nora's ursa, cutting a swathe through the once rich woodland.

Then a deathstalker came bursting through the treeline.

"Did they just come in riding a deathstalker?" Blake said, somehow managing to keep a relative calm if confused voice.

They?

Yang's eyes were drawn to two people that were actually _riding_ the deathstalker. Her eyes caught onto a flash of blonde hair and then of vibrant red hair. The red hair was easily identified as the Pyrrha Nikos. The Invincible Girl. The girl on all the cereal boxes. She was definitely someone to look out for.

' _And the other person is…_ '

Yang never finished that thought as instead her eyes narrowed as soon as she realized who it was.

Jaune. Jaune Arc. Ruby's first friend.

"You don't like Blue-Eyes over there?"

Yang looked over in surprise at her partner.

' _Perceptive'_ she thought as she struggled to find the words.

"It's not that I don't like him… I-...It's just that there's something that rubs me the wrong way you know? I'm just not sure I can trust him… Like he's hiding something Big. With a capital 'b'."

Blake's eyes were trained on Yang, slowly nodding but saying nothing.

Yang continued. "It's like… his eyes… they're just so… dead…"

She felt bad about it, she really did. Her gut was telling her that there was something off about Jaune however, and while Ruby might like him… If he were to ever to do anything to Ruby…

Her hands clenched into fists as she kept her eyes trained on Jaune. He and Pyrrha had jumped off the back of the deathstalker, landing safely in a roll as the deathstalker continued to rampage forward and away from its tormentors.

"Ren! I can't believe theirs' was bigger than mine!" Nora yelled as she dragged the poor black-haired, young man over to meet Jaune and Pyrrha.

Yang continued to watch Jaune, her emotions leaving her feeling conflicted and her fists still clenched. The two groups of partners chatted amicably, with Nora excitedly waving her hands above her head. In such a setting Jaune looked… normal… excited… Like a regular teenage boy.

"It's okay. I don't trust him either."

Yang's head snapped over to Blake. Blake was also staring at Jaune, the same suspicious glint in her eyes.

Yang felt a little bit better about her suspicions, now that someone else was backing her up. Blake seemed fairly perceptive too.

' _Maybe I'm right in being suspicious?'_

Yang's thoughts were interrupted however, as the group of four in front of her and Blake began to point upwards, expressions of confusion and concern covering most of their faces.

Jaune's face however was blank. It took him a little while before his face also quickly morphed to an expression matching the others. None of the other group saw it, too busy looking skywards. Yang knew that she and Blake had both seen it however... and that was good enough for now...

"Uh…"

Yang turned her head to look at Blake, who was also staring up into the sky. She finally looked upwards. There she was something that made her heart stop.

She was met with a familiar face. A familiar face complete with a panicked expression and flailing arms. A familiar face that was currently hurtling to the ground at literally break-neck speeds.

"RUBY?!"

* * *

 **Omake: Not Canon however much we might all want it to be…**

Jaune's father stared down at him, stroking his perfectly coiffed blonde mustache.

It appeared as though Jaune was finally reaching… that age. When young boys finally started noticing the charms of the opposite sex. His wife had told him that Jaune had recently been caught staring at one of the girls from his class. It was time for 'the talk'. No son of his would go unarmed into the battlefield that was love.

"Jaune," his full-bodied voice began, "Do you know what it is that men need when attempting to woo the fairer sex?"

Jaune shuffled his feet awkwardly, trying to draw upon all 10 years of his life experience.

"Confidence?" Jaune answered timidly as he looked up for his father's reaction.

His father gave a hearty laugh in return. "Ha ha ha! Confidence is important Jaune my boy, but do you know what you need to support this confidence?"

Jaune shook his head no, a part of his young mind eager to hear what his father was about to say.

He hoped it would be something profound.

That eagerness was quickly trampled as his father ripped off his shirt, revealing his chiseled form and muscled physique.

" **MUSCLES!"**

Jaune's small eyes were filled with images of dancing pectorals, an image that he would spend years trying to forget.

" **Your confidence must be supported by a hearty bedrock of muscle and sinew, forged under the heat of your determination! LOOK at this body! LOOK at this body pumped full of CONFIDENCE!"**

Jaune heard someone scream. He then realized that he was the one screaming.

" **COME MY BOY! DOES THIS EXAMPLE OF A PERFECT PHYSICAL SPECIMEN NOT INSPIRE YOU?! PREPARE YOURSELF, FOR I SHALL NOW PASS DOWN TO YOU THE WOOING TECHNIQUE PASSED DOWN THE ARC FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS!"**


	11. Coward?

**A/N: So it looks like this will probably be about the update schedule for now. A little bit longer than before, but probably still a bit less than a week. So… pretty much at random and whenever I feel like it…. XP**

 **A few people have recommended switching up the teams, but I'll be honest. I** _ **like**_ **the original teams and I sort of already have things planned out for it. Some sad things. Some funny things.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading and please review!**

* * *

" _We are not heroes Jaune"_

His father was right.

His father was right and it hurt more than Jaune had thought it would.

His eyes locked onto the girl in red falling towards the earth.

' _I need to help her! I should help her! I have to help her!"_

Jaune did nothing.

' _If I could just catch her…'_

Her fall would be broken by his body, possibly killing him.

' _So what? It's not like I wouldn't just come back to life.'_

Everyone there would see. Pyrrha would see. She would see that she had a monster as a partner.

' _So she'd see that I'm immortal. It's not like that would change anything would it?'_

Verdan and Clover came into Jaune's mind, still staring at him with an unspeakable fear in their eyes.

' _Pyrrha could be different right? There's always the chance…'_

Ozpin had told him to keep his immortality secret.

' _That's just an excuse. What am I so afraid of?'_

Eyes full of fear stared back at him.

' _Am I really going to just sit back and watch Ruby fall? Just so I don't risk hurting my feelings?'_

A ball of shame coiled in his stomach. Jaune didn't think he could feel shame.

Ruby was close now. She was close enough for Jaune to see the whites of her eyes, the fear in her eyes. Eyes full of fear that Jaune couldn't help but feel like he was responsible for. Eyes full of fear that hurt so much more than those he had seen look at him before.

All of the sudden, Ruby's fall jerked to a halt. "Hurk!" Ruby's cloak stretched and yanked Ruby back up slightly, effectively stopping her in place. A familiar red and gold spear had appeared stuck in Ruby's cloak, piercing the tree behind her.

"Wow! Ren did you see that? Pyrrha that was amazing!"

Jaune turned around to see Pyrrha with a satisfied smirk on her face. Her arm was still outstretched, having thrown the spear that had saved Ruby from having a very hard meeting with the ground.

"Oh my god Ruby!" Yang had already managed to climb the tree that Ruby was hanging from, freeing her from the tree in record time. "What the hell were you doing?" The two of them climbed back down the tree as Ruby tried to explain.

"Well you see Weiss and I were walking along and all of a sudden this huge nevermore came out of nowhere. And the- Thanks for the save!" Ruby waved excitedly at Pyrrha as Yang handed back her spear.

"Ruby focus!"

"Right! Anyways! It chased us all over the place so we kinda sorta… ended up climbing onto it… and then it took off."

"Ren! Everyone is riding something cooler than me! Find me a dragon Grimm!"

"Nora please…"

"Then I ended up jumping off and… here I am!" Ruby finished her story with a shrug of her shoulders, a sheepish grin on her face. She fidgeted with her cloak, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention.

"Wait Ruby… If you were riding it with Weiss… Where's Weiss?"

Everyone stared at Blake, before the color drained from Ruby's face.

"Oh…" Ruby said as she slowly looked upwards. Everyone else's eyes slowly followed hers.

Weiss was falling. Specifically Weiss was falling towards the ground.

"Pyrrha! Can you get her too?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "There's nothing around for me to pin her to!"

Jaune started running as soon as Pyrrha shook her head.

He had stood by when Ruby was falling. He never wanted to feel that shame again of just being a bystander who did nothing.

He had covered the ground faster than he had thought possible, he could feel his legs and lungs burning but he simply paid them no mind. He had felt worse.

His sprint ended with a final leap, covering the last bit of ground just in time as Jaune reached out his arms in an attempt to catch Weiss. Arms that he knew would probably snap from the impact.

Jaune watched as his arms reached out to where Weiss would land… and then past it.

' _Dammi-'_ "OOF"

Jaune felt Weiss crash into his spine, using his body as a cushion as the two of them slammed into the ground. He let out a low groan as he heard Weiss make a similar noise of discomfort. Something felt wrong however…

"Ugh… my spine…"

"What … kind of catch… was that?"

"One with my spine… Why can I still feel my legs?"

"Aura you dolt."

"Riiiiiiiiiight…."

Jaune internally smacked himself on the head. He had totally forgotten about aura. Aura that shielded and protected him. He would have kept on internally berating himself, but there was something more important on hand.

"Hey Snow Angel."

Weiss glared at him, stifling a "shut up" only because he was still lying on the ground from where she had just landed on him. Her glare quickly turned into a look of concern. He had just turned himself into a cushion for her after all. "What?"

"Nice of you to… drop in."

Weiss kicked him.

"I didn't think that you'd actually… _fall_ for me."

Weiss kicked him again. This time a grudging smile on her face. ' _At least the idiot is fine…'_

"Who knew you had a ... _crush_ on me." Jaune wheezed out a breath as he finished, his aura already fixing his slightly bruised ribs.

Pyrrha buried her face in her hands, before stifling a giggle. Nora had no intentions of hiding her giggles, whilst Ren and Blake simply groaned. Yang was still busy checking on Ruby.

Weiss lifted her leg for another kick, before stopping. Her gaze centered in on someone, and her eyes narrowed.

"You!"

"Eep!"

Ruby hid behind Yang as Weiss stepped around the still fallen Jaune and stalked towards her target.

"How could you leave me up there! I could have died you imbecile! What were you thinking?!"

"I-I…. I told you to jump…" Ruby said, easily cowed by the older girl's ranting. Jaune could practically see her shrinking into her cloak, seeking from sort of comfort from the cloth surrounding her. Luckily for her, a certain older sister wasn't quite in the mood to see her younger sister get a verbal tongue lashing.

"He-"

 ***CRASH***

The sound of falling trees interrupted Yang. As one their eyes went to the treeline, straining to see what was rampaging its way through the forest.

"Oh crap." Yang's eyes widened as a deathstalker came bursting from the foliage. An oddly familiar deathstalker took one last swing at an errant tree, before its scuttling resumed.

"It's coming right at us!" Blake drew Gambol Shroud as she turned to run. A blur of red shot past her, followed by Yang's hand missing the ends of a flowing red cloak!

"I got this!" Ruby shot forwards, moving so fast she turned into a running red blur with rose petals in her wake. Crescent Rose arced behind her, its blade at the ready. Jaune's eyes could barely keep up with her.

"How's she so fast?!" Jaune's jaw dropped as he tried to track Ruby with his eyes.

Yang could only grit her teeth, before chasing after her. She knew she couldn't catch up. "It's her semblance. Lets her zip around with all those little rose petals behind her." Yang ran as fast as she could, but she knew better. Ruby was on her own for now.

"Wow…" Jaune said. Ruby was already practically right next to the deathstalker. No one else even had time to move. Her scythe rose high in the air, preparing to slash downwards and drive its point deep into the deathstalker's brain. "Uh oh…"

"What?" Pyrrha looked at Jaune, wondering what he was so worried about.

"Ruby's in trouble." Ruby tightened her grip on Crescent Rose with both hands before leaping into the air. Her dash carried her forward, the deathstalker raising its claws a second too late.

Pyrrha realized why the moment Ruby's scythe slammed into the Grimm's skull.

"Gah!" Ruby felt her scythe bounce off the Grimm's hardened armor and fly free from her hands. There was nary a mark on its carapace as its claws came up around Ruby. Her eyes widened as she watched the pincers begin to tighten around her.

Jaune eyed the person chasing after Ruby. Yang was too far away.

Ice snapped over the Grimm's claws, preventing it from closing. Then a torrent of ice froze forward, barring the Grimm's path.

Weiss stood there, an elegant rapier in her hand. The point was still stabbed forwards towards the Grimm, frost still settling on its blade.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief as she fell to the ground. She turned to Weiss, a big grin on her face. "Thanks Weiss!"

Her grin quickly froze as soon as she saw the frosty stare being directed at her. Weiss glared at Ruby, the point of her sword lowered, but her grip still firm. "Don't leave me behind like that again! If we're going to be partners you're going to have to start listening!"

Ruby picked up Crescent Rose, a sheepish smile on her face. "I'm sorry Weiss... But you care! You really do care!"

Weiss opened her mouth, only for Ruby to be swept up in a Yang-hug before being dropped back onto her feet. "Ruby! What did I tell you about doing stupid things like that!"

"Uhm… Don't do them?"

"Right! Don't do them!"

"Uh… what should we do about the frozen deathstalker?"

Weiss, Ruby, and Yang turned to look at the apparent voice of reason who had pointed out the big frozen deathstalker in the room. Blake kept her eyes trained on the Grimm scorpion. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren came up behind her, their eyes also on the frozen spectacle.

"I can't hold it for long. Anyone have any ideas?" Weiss looked critically at her ice. It was alright for a rush job, but the frozen prison was already cracking. The scorpion would soon be free.

Surprisingly it was the youngest of the group that spoke up. "Let's just grab the relics and run. There's no reason to fight it right?"

"Ruby's right. Let's get out of here!" Jaune had finally found his voice after watching Weiss encase the scorpion in ice.

' _Wow… Ruby's super fast… Weiss is apparently a wizard and Pyrrha's some sort of amazing warrior. And me? … I'm just really good at dying… Woo….'_

Agreeing with Ruby and Jaune, everyone turned tail and ran towards the forest ruins. Ruby was naturally there first, rose petals still in her wake. Golden chess pieces sat upon various pedestals. "Probably the relic's…" Ruby grabbed one right as she heard a cracking of ice.

The deathstalker was free.

"Run away!" Ruby cried as she ran with Weiss hot on her heels.

Nora was next, her eyes narrowing in on a golden rook. "Look Ren! I'm queen of the castle!"

"Please Nora not now!" The raven haired boy briefly manhandled the girl, shoving her in the direction that Ruby had already started running.

"Aw Renny! Don't be such a spoilsport! I had a song ready and everything!"

"I'll listen to it later Nora! Please we have to run!"

Pyrrha was the last to grab a piece, everyone else already running after Ruby. Blake and Yang had presumably grabbed their relic beforehand.

"Jaune! I've got it. Let's g-"

Pyrrha turned around only for her partner to be nowhere in sight. "Whe-" Her eyes quickly found him. Right in front of the rampaging deathstalker. His back was facing her, but she could see that he had already drawn Crocea Mors. The sheathe stayed at his hip, sword held with the point low.

"Jaune what are you doing?!"

"It's fine Pyrrha! Go on ahead."

The red-haired girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Go ahead? What are you talking about Jaune! Let's go!" She shot a quick glance at the rest of their group. Ren and Nora each shot a glance back at the two of them, their stride beginning to slow.

Jaune did not turn to look at her, waving a hand dismissively at her. He spoke with a distracted voice, his mind clearly on something else. "It'll be fine Pyrrha. That giant bird thing is still circling around and I don't want to get stuck between the two of them."

Pyrrha sputtered as she watched Jaune wave her off. She was… She was…! She was indignant! How dare he! Who was he to just wave her off like that?!

She drew Milo with a rasp, a growl in her throat as she stalked to stand beside Jaune.

Jaune shot Pyrrha a glance, a questioning look on his face. "Uh… Pyrrha? I-"

Pyrrha cut him off. "Shut. Up. Jaune."

Jaune made a zipping motion with his hand as the two of them faced down the rapidly approaching giant scorpion.

It's mandibles twitched together furiously, a mad light glinting in its multitude of glowing red eyes. It's maw opened to-* **BOOM*-** promptly explode in a pink explosion.

"Oh no you don't Jauney Pants! Don't think you're going to go and ride more deathstalkers without me and Ren!"

Jaune and Pyrrha turned in surprise to see Nora holding a grenade launcher. Ren stood beside her, two pistols with blades for handguards in his hands.

"We believed you might need some assistance." Ren nodded at Pyrrha and Jaune as they nodded back. "The others went ahead to find cover and deal with the Nevermore."

Jaune turned back to face the scorpion, the smoke already clearing.

' _Since when were explosions pink?'_

"Thanks for the help you guys." Jaune took a step forward, his sword still low and held in a loose grip. He looked around at those with him. This was new. He wasn't really used to fighting with others. He also wasn't used to fighting without dying. Not dying would be… _weird._

What was also weird, was the fact that everyone else was still looking at him. Like they were waiting for something. Jaune was feeling a little bit uncomfortable.

"What's the plan Jaune?"

"What." This _was_ weird.

* * *

Ruby had a plan. In her own opinion, it was a genius plan. Weiss didn't share the same opinion.

"Ruby… this plan is stupid…"

"Please Weiss! This plan is genius!"

They had finally been cornered by the nevermore. It had struck right as they had reached another set of ruins, this time built into the middle of a gorge. In front of them there was a single high cliff wall, blocking their way. Behind them had been a singular bridge which had connected the ruins they were standing on to the rest of the forest. A bridge that the nevermore had just destroyed.

The situation had looked dire, the bird too swift and far away for any of their attacks to reach, whether it be bullet or magic.

Then Ruby had a plan.

Blake had unraveled a long ribbon from Gambol Shroud, a ribbon that was currently stretched between two pillars and held taut by both her and Yang. The center of the ribbon had pulled back, held in place by one of Weiss's glyphs. And Ruby?

"Ruby… you're sitting in the middle of a giant slingshot."

"Genius! ...You can make the shot right?"

Weiss simply let out a "hmph", as if insulted that Ruby would even ask such a question. The giant nevermore that was stalking them flew into view.

' _As if I could miss'_

Weiss released her glyph, and watched as Ruby passed through several more of her glyphs. Each time she passed through the glowing runes, she sped up, until finally she was nothing but a red blur.

Crescent Rose was angled low as Ruby flew straight towards the nevermore.

' _This is the best idea ever!'_

Ruby tightened her grip, preparing to catch the nevermore's neck in the crook of her scythe.

"Hi Ruby!"

"J-Jaune?!"

Ruby could only watch as Jaune came flying through the air… straight into the nevermore's open mouth.

"Jaune!"

The nevermore had barely closed it's mouth however, before it started choking. It began with a hacking cough, effectively halting its flight. Ruby flew past the nevermore, narrowly missing the bird-like creature as it continued to choke in mid-air.

Off in the distant, she could hear Weiss yelling. "I _missed?!"_

Ruby slammed into the nearby cliff face, Crescent Rose digging into the earthen wall and holding her in place. She looked back to find the nevermore still choking. In fact it was so distracted by its choking, that it had not noticed that it instead of flying, it was falling downwards.

Downwards into the gorge.

Ruby could only watch as Jaune, Grimm and all, fell into the dark depths. The dark nevermore quickly disappeared, its black body blending into the shadowy depths of the gorge.

"Jaune?"

* * *

 **-A few minutes prior-**

For Jaune's first 'plan', he thought it had been going alright.

"Ren! Circle around behind! Hit and run. Pyrrha! Shoot it in the eyes! Nora!"

"Yes sir!"

Jaune looked at the grenade launcher in her hands. "Hit it really hard."

Nora looked at Jaune for a brief moment, before a manic grin came on her face. "Yes sir, Jaune sir!"

He rolled his eyes at the hyper girl's response. ' _Maybe this will work out after all…'_

Jaune stepped forward towards the deathstalker as Ren blurred off to the side. Pyrrha's sword had somehow turned into a rifle - which Jaune just thought was unfair when he was stuck with a weird sheath-shield- and had settled into a shooting stance.

A shot rang out, easily taking out one of the deathstalker's eyes. It flinched backwards, allowing Ren to briefly latch onto its tail, slicing away at the scorpion's bulb, before jumping away.

Pyrrha fired off one last shot, taking out another eye. Jaune was closing in and she wanted to watch. Ren settled in behind the deathstalker, curious but also ready to pounce if things got hairy.

' _There._ ' Jaune had just stepped in range of the deathstalker's pincers. The scorpion, seeing that Jaune was close enough, lashed out with one claw. It's gargantuan pincers neared Jaune, preparing to crush his body.

Then Jaune tripped.

*GASP*

Pyrrha heard Nora gasp, and saw Ren stiffen. She knew what they were thinking. They thought that Jaune was a goner.

The pincer clicked shut harmlessly in front of Jaune, his stumble stopping him from walking into the scorpion's grasp.

"Phew…. That was a close one…" Nora let out a big sigh clearly relieved their apparent leader had not already kicked the bucket. Ren also relaxed, thinking their worries were over. Pyrrha knew better.

The second claw swung in from the side, intent on fixing the previous claw's mistakes. Jaune took a step back, slipped, and fell onto his butt. *GASP* The claw arced towards his head- "Phew…"-only to the miss as Jaune's fall also made him roll onto his back.

The scorpion's tail flex in preparation to strike at Jaune's prone body- *GASP*- only to narrowly miss the clumsy young man by a hairsbreadth when he rolled onto his side. "Pheeeeeeeewww…."

Then Jaune wrapped an arm around the tail of the Grimm, the tail drawing back up and lifting Jaune with it. *GASP* Jaune then proceeded to finally use his sword, a clumsy chop with Crocea Mors still somehow managing to strike accurately, lopping off the giant scorpion's stinger. "Pheeeeeeeeeeeeewwwww…. Pyrrha… make it stop…. My heart…"

Pyrrha felt sympathy for Nora. She had gone through the exact same thing with Jaune when he had somehow climbed onto a deathstalker to ride it. Pyrrha couldn't help but admire Jaune's awkward and fumbling way of fighting. It was… oddly endearing. It really seemed to match the boy.

The stinger fell towards the ground, falling into and piercing the Grimm's bone-white exoskeleton. "Hit it hard Nora!" Jaune yelled out at Nora as he continued to dangle from the tail, his grip still firm.

"Okie dokie Jaune! Pyrrha give me a lift!"

Jaune's eyes bugged out as he saw what Nora was carrying and what she was doing. He had thought she had a grenade launcher. Apparently that grenade launcher was also a hammer.

Pyrrha held her shield up, providing a platform for Nora to jump onto, before pulling a trigger on her hammer. Pyrrha jumped up with the ensuing blast, sending Nora flying high into the air.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap…" Jaune kept on repeating as he saw Nora finally come arcing down.

"Nora! Wai-"

* **SMASH***

Nora came down like a thunderbolt, her hammer slamming the stinger into and through the deathstalker, before caving in the rest of the Grimm's head.

Jaune felt the rest of the creature's body convulse, stiffening for a brief moment upon death. It's muscles spasmed, tightening as much as possible in some vain attempt to escape death. Jaune felt the tail, the rest of the Grimm's body also flipping forward.

He felt himself start flying.

The tail and the force of Nora's hammer swing sent him flying away into the air, Crocea Mors flying from his grasp. It arced lazily through the air, before slamming point down into the ground near Pyrrha. She briefly stared at the sword, before looking back up to follow the trail her partner had taken.

Nora and Ren walked up beside her, also watching Jaune fly away.

"He'll be fine right?"

* * *

Ozpin rubbed his temples as he looked at his video feed.

"Glynda?"

"Hmmm?"

"Could you please go retrieve Mr. Arc?"

"Hmmm…."

"Thank you Glynda."

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter took some doing. I rewrote the beginning a few times and I'm still not sure if I'm happy about it…**

 **Anyways thanks for reading! Merry Christmas everyone! Hopefully I'll update again before then.**


	12. Creepy?

**A/N: Hey all! Sorry if the story is moving a bit slow. A few have noted that it's fairly similar to canon so far, and I did that somewhat on purpose. Things will start to change however, as Jaune's past starts to catch up with him, and those at Beacon. Hope you all stay with me until things start getting exciting!**

 **As always, thanks for reading and please review!**

* * *

" **dO NoT fORgET."**

" _Whuh…"_

 _Jaune opened his eyes to see himself floating in a sea of darkness. It expanded as far as the eye could see._

" _Wha-... Where am I… The last thing I remember was…"_

 _A giant scorpion. Nora's surprise hammer blow. The nevermore that had swallowed him. Ruby._

" _At least I helped I guess…" Jaune was glad that he had managed to help Ruby in some small way. Especially after the last time he could have helped Ruby._

" **DO nOT FOrgeT."**

 _Pain lanced through Jaune's head, the words driving deep into his brain. It shouldn't have bothered him. He was used to pain. Jaune had once had literal lances in his head! This pain was new however, striking deep at his very soul._

 _His head whipped about, trying to find the source of the voice. It was voice that Jaune did not remember, but it still struck a chord deep within him._

" _Who's there?! Where am I? What is this?!"_

" **yOu PRomiSeD"**

 _Jaune felt his brain once again trying to scramble itself, the voice still shaking him to his core._

" _Gah! Stop yelling! Promised?! Promised what? What did I promise? Who_ _ **are**_ _you?"_

" **A hErO"**

" _A… a hero?" Jaune could barely think with that constant pounding in his head. He wasn't sure what this thing was, but a "hero" probably wasn't one of them._

" **A hERo'S deAth"**

 _Jaune felt himself snap, the pain and the confusion finally pushing himself over the edge._

" _Death? You want to see death? I've died plenty of times! Look at any of them!"_

" **NONe wErE WOrThy"**

" _Shut up! Who are you to judge my death?! Deaths… Whatever! Screw you!"_

" **do NOT fOrGEt WhAt YoU PrOMiSeD"**

" _I've never met you before you stupid disembodied voice sitting in your stupid sea of darkness and creepiness! Ooooh, look at me! I'm a stupid dingleberry who apparently can't use their FREAKING INDOOR VOICE"_

" **a hErO's Death MR. arC."**

" _Shut up! You and your stupid hero's death! Get over here so I beat your nonexistent ass blue!"_

" **mR. arc"**

" _I said shut up! Nobody loves you!"_

"Mr. Arc."

"I said shut up you stupid doofus!"

"Doofus?"

The voice no longer sent spikes of pain into his brain, but it still sent a chill down Jaune's spine. This voice was different from the one he had just been hearing. It was more familiar. It was someone he had met only a little while ago. It was someone who scared the literal bejeezus out of him.

"M-Mrs. G-Goodwitch!"

Jaune sat up, finally taking stock of the situation. It was dark, the only light coming from flashlight that Ms. Goodwitch. His surroundings were barely illuminated. He could make out a rock, some moss, the errant shrubbery… He craned his neck, looking skywards to see a crack of light.

"It's Ms. Although I believe that's a step up from 'doofus'. " Ms. Goodwitch arched an eyebrow, staring down over the edge of her glasses, leaving Jaune to flinch once more.

"I'm so sorry. I was… having a really weird dream."

For Jaune it really was weird. Ignoring the fact that he had just had a dream, which was strange in and of itself, Jaune wasn't sure if getting lectured by a disembodied voice in a sea of black would be what one would call 'normal'.

Glynda sighed. "It's fine Mr. Arc. Just… get up. I'm assuming you're fine?" Jaune nodded as he stood up, brushing himself off. He looked around, noting a distinct lack of giant demon bird.

"Yeah I'm fine… I'm guessing the nevermore died and did that weird smoky thing… Where are we?"

"At the bottom of a crevasse."

"A what?"

" *Sigh* ...a hole Mr. Arc. We are at the bottom of a deep hole."

"Oh…" Jaune looked around a little bit more before looking back at the thoroughly fed-up Goodwitch.

"Could we… get out of here?"

"Oh god ye- I mean. Yes Mr. Arc."

* * *

Ruby was freaking out. ' " _Oh no Ruby, don't run ahead! We should stick together to stay safe." Stupid Yang!"_ Ruby had wanted to use her semblance to hurry back to Beacon. Jaune needed help! ' _But nooooooo. Instead I had to walk with all these slow pokes!_ '

Granted, judging from the red faces and hunched over posture of everyone else, they had been running as hard as they possibly could. Ozpin looked away from his vigil of the Emerald Forest, still standing on the same cliff that he had launched them all off of in the morning. He eyed the wheezing students in front of him, still sipping on his coffee mug.

"Hi Ruby!"

"Sorry can't talk right now Jaune!"

"O-oh… okay…"

Jaune slowly lowered the hand that he had been using to wave at the petite girl. Ruby and the others had run past with him nary a glance in his direction. He could hear Glynda letting out another sigh beside him, vague grumbles muffled by the hand that now covered her face.

"Ozpin! Please you've got to help us! Jaune fell into a big hole."

"It's called a crevasse. I think."

"Thank you Jaune. Please Ozpin! Jaune fell into a crevasse!"

"Welcome Ruby!"

Jaune watched as slowly, one by one, the members of the group turned around. Various looks of surprise and relief came over their faces. Pyrrha's was the biggest reaction, even overshadowing the excited "squuuuue!" that came from Nora's mouth. She visibly sagged, the tension and stress leaving her body all at once. She breath out a large sigh, her hand coming over her heart and her eyes closing briefly, before opening to smile at Jaune.

' _What were they so worried about?'_ Jaune met their looks with a casual wave of confusion. "Uhm… hey?"

"Ja-"

"Jaune!"

A ball of red interrupted Pyrrha, speeding past her and leaving a trail of rose petals in its wake.

"Oof!" Jaune felt the breath leave his body, as something slammed into his stomach at breakneck speeds. Tiny little arms wrapped around Jaune in a hug, before transitioning into a crushing vice grip around his insides.

"You're alive Jaune! Ohmygosh I was so worried! Pyrrha told me what happened and I-"

"R-r...Ruby! C-can't…. Breath…"

Ruby saw Jaune's face rapidly turning blue, prompting a yelp and hasty retreat. Jaune felt the breath come back to his lungs as Ruby's arms left his sides. Ruby looked down at her feet, her hands toying with the hem of her skirt.

"I-I'm sorry Jaune… I was just so gla-"

"Jaune!"

This time Pyrrha interrupted Ruby, running past the small girl and wrapping her arms around Jaune. He felt a familiar choking sensation, Pyrrha's grip tightening around her partner.

"I'm so sorry I-"

"Nora!"

Nora's apparent battlecry was all the warning that Jaune had before a second body crashed into both his and Pyrrha's.

Nora Valkyrie was a mighty girl, strong for her size and able to swing around her giant hammer with nary a care in the world. Jaune realized just how strong Nora was the moment that all that muscle and sinew began to literally squeeze the life out of Jaune.

Jaune heard something crack in his back, the smaller girl's arms crushing both his and Pyrrha's frames. The edge of his vision turned black as he felt the familiar approaching sensation of the sweet embrace of death.

Pyrrha on the other hand was not doing terribly well either. She felt her body pressed deep against Jaune's, the curves of their body melding together. Ignoring the fact that they were currently being crushed together by one Nora Valkyrie, it was quite an intimate embrace. Her face began to flush, her red face in stark contrast to Jaune's blue.

Ms. Goodwitch walked away from the spectacle, leaving the two of them to their fate. Ren had run over, doing his best to release Nora's quite possibly literal death-grip on Jaune.

"Nora! I think you need to let go now!"

"But he almost died Ren!"

"Well you're killing him anyways! Could someone please help me over here?!"

She came beside Ozpin, both of them watching the new students. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang ran over to join Ren in trying to release Nora's grip.

"Gah!" "Wait, hol-" "Oh no!" "Grhk!"

Glynda and Ozpin watched as their new students somehow all ended up piling on top of Jaune. The two teachers shared a glance, before moving out of earshot from the tangled pile of limbs resting on top of the now very flat, very blue, and possibly very dead boy.

Ozpin was the first to speak. "Did you see it?"

Glynda turned her head to look at Ozpin, his question still in the air.

She hesitated for a moment. "Yes." She repressed a shudder. "I saw his… resurrection."

Ozpin slowly nodded, his finger idly tapping against the coffee mug in his hand. Hearing no answer, Glynda continued, her words slow and unsure.

"It was… It was awful Ozpin. When I found him he was bloody and broken... His arms were broken… his legs were snapped..."

Glynda barely repressed a shiver, her arms coming up around herself for some measure of comfort. Ozpin felt himself frown. Glynda was a seasoned huntress. A calm and disciplined woman who had survived countless life and death situations. Ozpin had never seen her so shaken before.

"I…. I watched him die Ozpin. I sat by his side and watched him take his last breaths…"

His eyes closed. Ozpin asked for forgiveness to whatever deity existed. He had given Glynda orders. To ignore every fiber of her being telling her to save Jaune. He had told her to watch him die.

Glynda's hands tightened around her arms, her fingers pressing deep into cloth and flesh.

"Then… _it_ happened."

Glynda seemed to withdraw more within herself. Ozpin reached over a hand, resting it on her shoulder. Normally that would have been asking for a sharp smack from her riding crop. It never came.

"There was this… dark mist that came from his body. It felt _wrong_ Ozpin. I don't know what the hell that was down there but I know it was _wrong_. I watched as it just… _pulled_ him back together."

Glynda's hands clenched tighter at her sides. Ozpin tried to give her shoulder a comforting squeeze but Glynda paid it no notice, her mind still elsewhere.

"It's not aura… it's not anything like the maiden's powers… I don't know what the hell that was Ozpin but we can _not_ have it near our students!"

Steel came back into the Goodwitch's voice, the familiar fire back in her eye. Ozpin let a small smile come onto his face. There was the Goodwitch he remembered.

The smile dropped from his face as he looked back towards Jaune and his new found group of… dare he say it… friends?

The blonde young man had managed to extricate himself from the crushing pile, Pyrrha behind him rubbing his back as he struggled to regain his breath. A bowing Nora was in front of him, being lectured by Weiss as Ren laid out beside her, clearly exhausted. Ruby sat nearby, an awkward hand reaching out to give Jaune a pat of comfort, as both both her sister and Blake stood behind her, giving the occasional jeer at her attentiveness to Jaune.

"Are we doing the right thing Ozpin?" Glynda asked as she also watched the scene of budding friendship. The scene was ruined for her however, by memories of dark tendrils seeping from Jaune's body.

Ozpin continued to stare at Jaune, trying to discern some hidden facet of the boy in front of him.

"Yes."

Ozpin gave a sidelong glance at Glynda, who nodded although still with a bit of doubt.

The two turned away, as Yang's relentless ribbing had finally driven Ruby too far, prompting a sisterly tackle that almost took the two back off the cliff again.

There was still much to do.

* * *

Jaune sat on a bed, his head in his hands.

Too many things had happened.

Well. Really only one thing.

"Why Pyrrha, why! Why did Ozpin make me team leader?!"

Pyrrha sat beside Jaune on the bed, awkwardly patting his shoulder.

"It's…. Fine? I think you'll be a great leader Jaune."

"I agree with Pyrrha Jaune. I think you will be a fine team leader." Jaune raised his head from his hands to look at the other voice in the room. Lie Ren. His magenta-eyes looked up at Jaune from where he was putting away his clothes. "Your plan against the deathstalker was going pretty well ...until Nora almost killed you."

"Reeeeeeeeeeeeeen. I said I was sorry!" Nora Valkyrie sat on her bed, the second in a set of four beds that comprised up of Team JNPR's bedroom. That was their team. _His_ team. Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren.

Jaune was panicking. He was sure the others noticed he was panicking. He was responsible for their lives. He couldn't be responsible for _their_ lives. He wasn't even responsible enough for _his_ life!

' _What the hell was Ozpin thinking?!'_

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking Ozpin?!"

Glynda Goodwitch liked to think she was a calm woman. Ozpin had a way of changing that.

Said source of Glynda's ire was currently sitting at his desk, sipping at yet another _damn_ _cup of coffee_. Glynda wanted to smack that stupid mug out of his stupid hands.

"Team JNPR _led by Jaune Arc?!_ You said so yourself! That _thing_ is broken! I ca-"

"Boy."

Ozpin's words cut through Glynda's tirade.

"What?"

"He's a boy Glynda. Not a thing. A _boy._ "

Glynda found herself at a loss for words. "I… I _know_ he's a boy Ozpin. What are you getting at?"

"You called him a thing just now."

"..."

"Glynda?"

"I… I did? I didn't even know..." Glynda looked away from Ozpin, her grip unnaturally tight upon her riding crop.

Ozpin went silent, his musings going unvoiced as he watched the shaken Goodwitch. She had not been the same ever since he had sent her to retrieve Jaune. Ever since she had seen… _that_.

"Was his resurrection truly that… disturbing?"

Glynda took a long calming breath, her hand reaching up and smoothing away at nonexistent wrinkles.

"I… forgive me Ozpin. It was that mist… It didn't just put him back together. I could see it's pulse. I could feel it with my aura. It was _alive_."

Ozpin rocked back in his chair, trying to digest what he had just heard. He snuck a glance at Glynda, who was still trying to calm herself down. When he spoke, his words were slow, methodical.

"Qrow spoke of the boy as if he had no regard for the sanctity of human life however we both saw him attempt to rescue Ms. Schnee however during the initiation."

Glynda took a moment, thinking on what Ozpin had just said. She felt guilty. From his story and her interactions with him, Glynda had not seen him as anything more than a broken person. A boy lost out in the world who had been done a great wrong. However she just couldn't separate that image of Jaune and the thing that lived within him no matter how she tried. She thought she was better than that. Apparently Ozpin was.

"You think there's still hope for him." A statement, not a question.

Ozpin nodded, his eyes distant as he thought to himself. "I do. I believe… that in Mr. Arc is the potential to do much good. To serve as a shield for many. I believe he just needs time to heal, and that Beacon can do provide a place to do that. Have you truly given up on him?"

Glynda shook her head as a small smile graced her face. She couldn't say she totally had, however that didn't help with her chief concern.

"And if that … black mist turns out to be a problem?"

This time Ozpin turned away from her. He did not speak for a few moments, instead choosing to look out the window in his office. When he spoke there was an edge there, an edge that sent chills down Glynda's spine.

It was easy to forget, but Ozpin was headmaster of Beacon for a reason.

"If he ever proves to truly be a danger…Immortal or not. He's still just a boy."

* * *

Jaune awoke to the smell of pancakes.

For a moment Jaune thought that he had somehow had a stroke in his sleep. There had been a brief period of time where the scalpel monkeys at the lab had been poking about his brain. For a while they had been _literally_ poking at his brain.

Jaune patted his hand over his face, glad to see that everything was moving alright. Was it not a stroke then?

When he looked over at Pyrrha however, he also noticed her sniffing at the air in her sleep.

While he was glad that he was in fact _not_ suffering from a stroke, that still raised the question. Why was he smelling pancakes?

A quick survey around the room found the answer. He was smelling pancakes because there _were_ pancakes.

Lie Ren was somehow already awake. AND he was making pancakes. He had set up what looked to be like a portable electric skillet, along with a large jug of pancake mix sitting nearby. Jaune thought something looked amiss however, prompting a closer look. _Was_ Ren awake?

The only other male on Team JNPR stood there with a spatula in hand, a pancake still sizzling away on the griddle. A rather hefty stack of pancakes was already sitting on a plate nearby. Jaune was admittedly jealous that the other male was pulling off his pink apron so well. He knew if he ever put on a pink apron he would simply look silly.

Then Ren's head nodded forward, causing Jaune to finally notice that Ren's eyes were completely closed. A small snore escaped from the boy clad in a pink apron. Jaune felt himself go a bit slack jawed. Ren was a asleep. He was making _pancakes in his sleep._

Another snore brought Ren out of his slumber, snorting slightly as he startled himself awake.

He looked around blearily, before finally noticing the pancake in front of him. His half-lidded eyes gave the pancake a cursory inspection, before the spatula came out and flipped it over to reveal a golden-brown surface.

Ren's eyes began to close again, his head already nodding forward.

"Uh… hey buddy… What'cha up to?" Jaune slid out of bed, tiptoeing over so as not to wake the girls.

Ren gave a slight grumble, mustering up the energy to speak. "Nora… pancakes… If none…. World will suffer..."

Jaune felt a small smile fall on his face as he watched the sleepy young man continue to toil away.

It wouldn't do for one of his teammates to burn himself on the first day of school.

"Hey Ren... how about I take over for you? I'm already awake and I don't think I'll be able to sl-"

Jaune had hardly finished speaking before the black and pink haired boy flopped into his bed, not even bothering to go underneath the covers.

"Thank…*zzzzz* you…."

That small smile stayed on Jaune's face, as he shook his head and moved over to the griddle. A quick flip of the spatula sent the finished pancake onto it's plate.

"Jaune… Don't be afraid..."

Hearing his name, Jaune felt himself quirk an eyebrow as he watched Ren mumble into his pillow.

"Don't be afraid… to talk to us…*zzzzzzzzz* Nora said… you looked… broken*zzzzzzz*"

Jaune felt himself stiffen as Ren continued to mumble into his pillow, his grip tightening on the spatula.

"We'll…. Be here…. *zzzzzzzz* for….. You…."

Jaune's body relaxed, his hand releasing its death grip upon the spatula. He felt a breath of relief escape him. He looked around the room, his eyes stopping on each member of his team.

Ren was still drowning in his pillow. Pyrrha had burrowed underneath the covers, the only thing visible being the end of her flowing red hair. Nora had apparently smelled the pancakes already, her mouth nibbling away at her pillow.

Jaune poured some more pancake mix onto the griddle, that same small smile still on his face.

He could get used to this.


	13. Therapy?

**A\N: Hey Everyone! A bit of time since the last update. I was toying around with my writing style, trying to make it a little bit less reliant on adjectives and what not.**

 **A lot of people have been asking about the black ghost. It will show up in a way, but not really in the same way as in Ajin. Jaune probably also won't be able to control it like those in the manga. So it's not a direct crossover, but it definitely borrows ideas from it.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and please review!**

* * *

 **\- Goodwitch Office - Day 4**

"Uhm… I'm not in trouble am I? Because it's only the first day and I don't think I've messed up too much yet.."

Jaune sat nervously in a chair in Miss Goodwitch's desk. He had been called up to her office at the conclusion of afternoon classes with nary a warning. Said Goodwitch, sat across from him behind her desk. She let out a sigh.

"No Mr. Arc, you are not in trouble."

A sigh escaped his lips, his shoulders slouching momentarily before perking back up. He shot Miss Goodwitch a questioning glance.

"Wait, then why _am_ I here?"

Another sigh escaped from her lips.

"Ozpin and I believe that you require… "

Jaune leaned forward in his seat, the woman in front of him momentarily hesitating.

"Counseling."

Jaune rocked back. "Counseling? Like… Career counseling?"

Glynda slowly shook her head. "No, a different sort of counseling."

Jaune's face scrunched up as he thought upon Glynda's words. His arms crossed in front of him as he scrutinized Miss Goodwitch. "Uhm… what kind of counseling?"

"Ozpin and I are merely worried that you might have trouble… acclimating to everything. We merely wished to extend a helping hand."

Jaune's face remained twisted up in thought. "That's… awfully nice of you. Are you the student counsellor here at Beacon as well?"

This time Glynda's face twisted into a frown. "Not exactly."

* * *

" _Ozpin, if Jaune is truly so scarred, shouldn't we be seeking help for him?"_

 _Ozpin glanced at Glynda, a strange glint in his eye._

" _What do you mean Glynda?"_

" _Well if we truly believe his story he's essentially been tortured. Any veteran hunter would have been sent for a psychological evaluation at this point."_

" _So you think that Mr. Arc requires the services of a psychologist?"_

" _Well going off of Qrow's words… I would believe so."_

 _Ozpin clapped his hands together, a small smirk on his otherwise stoic face._

" _Excellent. Thank you for volunteering Glynda!"_

" _Ozpin that's not what I-"_

* * *

Glynda rubbed her temples.

"Not exactly. I… volunteered to do this with you."

Jaune's eyebrows shot up. "Oh. Uh… Thanks?" Jaune's face relaxed as his arms unfolded themselves. He slouched back slightly in his chair, a more thoughtful look on his face.

"Have you counseled a lot of students before?"

Glynda couched slightly at Jaune's question. The cough covered up a discrete twitch from her riding crop, an unseen force moving in concert with it to move ' _Counseling for Dummies'_ out of view from her desk.

When she recovered, she sent what she considered her sternest of glares at Jaune.

"Are you doubting my qualifications to counsel you, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune immediately went ramrod straight in his chair. "W-ha- Of course not! I would never do that on purpose!"

Glynda dropped the glare, her inner self cheering. "See that you do not do that again."

' _Nailed it!'_

Internally preening over her clever cover-up, Glynda missed Jaune staring at her. He nibbled at his lip slightly, wringing his hands before speaking up.

"It's just that… It doesn't really seem like… you want to be here?" The upwards lilt of Jaune's question caught Glynda's attention.

Glynda blinked owlishly at Jaune. The boy was surprisingly astute. She did _not_ want to be here. It wasn't that she did not want to be in her office, it was that she did not want to be in her office with _him_.

She hated herself. She hadn't gotten over her fear yet and she hated herself.

She stared at her student. _Her student_ unsure of what to say.

Jaune fidgeted in his chair. " Miss Goo-"

"Quiet!" Jaune straightened up at the whipcrack of her voice.

"I'm the one asking questions here!" Glynda stood up, shoving her chair back as she brought her riding crop smashing down upon her desk. "Do you understand?"

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

"Good! Now." Glynda sat back down, looking down and straightening the wrinkles in her skirt, before looking back up at Jaune.

"How was your day?"

* * *

 _-Day 1 -_

 _Jaune stared at himself in the reflection. It was his first day of school at Beacon Academy. His uniform was mostly assembled. His slacks were neatly pressed, his suit jacket free of wrinkles, and a host of pens and notebooks stood assembled on the table nearby. Everything was ready._

 _Except for his stupid tie._

 _Pyrrha's reflections walked up behind Jaune's own. "Uh Jaune?"_

" _Yeah Pyrrha?"_

 _Jaune's eyes never left the reflection of his traitorous tie._

 _A frown marred Pyrrha's face. "What's wrong you look… distressed."_

 _Jaune whirled around, his hands grasping at the air._

" _My tie Pyrrha! I can't fix my tie."_

 _Pyrrha took a small step back, as she looked at her hysterical partner's perfectly normal tie._

" _Jaune? It looks fine. What's wrong with it."_

 _Jaune stared at Pyrrha, a fire beginning to burn in his eyes._

" _What's wrong? What's wrong?! My tie! Is crooked Pyrrha! It's_ _ **crooked**_ _. How am I supposed to show up to the first day of school with a crooked tie?!"_

 _Pyrrha reached forward and placed a hand upon Jaune's shoulder, her other hand motioning Jaune to imitate her own calming breaths._

" _Breath Jaune. Breath. Your tie is fine. It doesn't look crooked at all."_

 _Jaune took several deep breaths, before taking one final breath longer than the others. He shot Pyrrha a look and smile. "Thanks Pyrrha. I'm just… pretty nervous… I haven't been to school in a few years."_

 _Pyrrha tilted her head. "Really? Were you home schooled?"_

 _Jaune managed to suppress his wince. "Er… Yep! I know it sounds silly, but I'm really excited." Pyrrha mirrored the grin that broke out on Jaune's face._

" _I do-"_

" _WE'RE LATE!" Jaune and Pyrrha's necks' snapped towards the door. Nora looked up from a stack of pancakes, as Ren leaned his head out of the bathroom door. They had all heard the familiar yell of Ruby Rose coming from across the hall._

" _Shit."_

* * *

 _Jaune sat in the cafeteria, Pyrrha and Nora to either side of him with Ren approaching with a plate of food for himself._

 _Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang sat across from his team, also enjoying lunch._

 _Jaune had seen Ruby's eagerly waving hands and had pointed out Team RWBY to his team. A few moments later and everyone was eating lunch together._

 _Ren and Blake had started a conversation, their voices calm and polite. Nora butted in with a compliment on Blake's bow, a bit of food flying from her mouth._

 _Weiss wrinkled her nose before proceeding to chastise Nora. Yang and Ruby started chewing with their mouths open, staring at Weiss as they ground their food like cattle._

 _The white-haired princess began to get whiplash, struggling to keep track of exactly_ _ **who**_ _to reprimand. Pyrrha giggled as she watched the normally prim and proper heiress become so flustered._

 _And Jaune?_

 _Jaune sat there with a smile on his face._

* * *

Jaune stared at Glynda, the professor beginning to slowly arch her eyebrow as the time went on. He gave a little shake of his head, his eyes focusing back in.

"Oh sorry. It's…" Jaune felt a small smile fall onto his face, the same one that had been there almost the entirety of that first day. "It's… nice. "

Glynda nodded, scribbling down something into her notebook. Jaune craned his head, trying to get a look, only to stop once Glynda sent him yet another glare.

"And how does that make you feel?"

Jaune blinked at Glynda's question. "Uhm… nice?"

Glynda simply "hmmed", her pen once more jotting something down. Jaune felt himself beginning to fidget again. He couldn't help but feel like he had said the wrong answer.

Glynda crossed something out on her notebook, before looking back up at Jaune.

"And have you been sleeping well?"

* * *

 _\- Day 3 -_

 _Jaune stared into the mirror of Team JNPR's shared bathroom. Water droplets dotted his face, his hands still wet from washing his face._

 _Tired eyes stared back at him. He hadn't slept. He couldn't sleep. He could feel himself slip into sleep's embrace only to slip right back out. Every time he almost fell asleep he just thought, ' This isn't right. '_

 _Jaune didn't know what wasn't right. It just wasn't. He had felt himself feeling more irritated lately. Not at his team. Never at his team. It had only been a few days but whenever he was around them he could feel his shoulders relax, his fists unclench, whatever unknown tension in his body leaving him._

 _It was at random things. Anything. The way Professor Port's moustache ruffled as he talked, Professor Oobleck's lightspeed ramblings, the way that this one girl had said "Supposably"._

 _It was everything._

 _Jaune held up his hand._

 _He watched as small tremors shook through his hand._

* * *

 _Jaune struggled to focus in class, something burning in his veins. His breaths were shallow and sweat beaded on his head._

 _He wanted something. Not just wanted._ _ **Wanted.**_ _Needed even._

 _He still didn't know what, all he knew was that he needed something and if he didn't get it soon he felt like he would go crazy. He seemed some sort of release. He briefly entertained the idea of dying just to see whether that would fix things._

 _The thought lingered._

 _Pyrrha looked at him from her seat next to him, she turned to look at Ren, who had also been looking at Jaune._

 _A frown marred both their faces._

 _Still Jaune thought of death._

* * *

Jaune nervously chewed on his lip, a shaking hand shoved deep with-in a pocket. Glynda looked at Jaune's eyes, noting a hint of red.

"Of course." The lie came out smoother than Jaune would have liked.

The idea of dying was stronger now. It wouldn't be too hard. Just a quick jump off a cliff. He could be back and changed before anyone noticed.

This time a frown marred Glynda's face.

"Mr. Arc?"

"I promise. I'm fine." Yet another lie.

The frown stayed on Glynda's face. Yet another note was jotted down on her notebook. Jaune really wanted to snap that pen. His hand twitched.

"Uhm… Miss Goodwitch?"

"Yes Mr. Arc?"

"Is it alright if I ask a question?"

Glynda mulled over the question a little bit. Jaune felt his fidgeting start up again.

"You may."

Jaune looked around, his fidgeting becoming a bit more noticeable. Glynda reached a hand forward, laying it to rest on Jaune's shoulder. Jaune stilled.

"Relax Mr. Arc. You can tell me anything. "

Jaune's shoulders finally relaxed.

Glynda gave a squeeze before she let go. Jaune couldn't help but miss the contact.

"Why am I here? Ozpin could have squirreled me away in some kind of safe house… but instead he put me here, with the rest of the students… I've been thinking about it and to be honest it doesn't make any sense!"

Glynda matched Jaune's gaze.

She thought about what to say. She thought about coming up with some kind of lie. She knew that Jaune needed to know the truth.

"Ozpin thinks that you can be a great protector of mankind. " Jaune's face scrunched up as he heard Glynda's words.

"He thinks that with time… You could be a hero - of sorts."

His eyebrows practically shot through his forehead.

"A-… a hero? ...M-Me?"

"Yes."

* * *

 **-Day 5-**

Jaune sat in class, his familiar hoody and jeans underneath his meagre chest plate. Crocea Mors was sheathed and leaned against the seat next to him. In front of him, two students did battle on a stage in front of him.

Two green bars were on a screen next to each student's picture. The bars represented their aura levels. Jaune thought they looked like health bars.

It was combat class, and Glynda's words from the previous day still rung in his head.

"Jaune?"

His head turned to look into the eyes of his partner. He noted that both Ren and Nora were also looking over. Jaune could hear Team RWBY chatting away behind him, but he couldn't help but feel their eyes on him too.

"Are you okay?" Jaune raised his eyebrow at Pyrrha. He didn't notice the increasing tremors in his hand.

"I'm fine. How are you doing?"

Pyrrha shot a glance back at Ren and Nora before turning back to Jaune. The chattering from behind him had stopped.

"I'm fine… it's just tha-"

"Jaune Arc." Glynda's voice rang out from the front of the room.

Jaune stood up, picking up Crocea Mors and strapping it to his thigh. He shuffled down the steps to the arena.

Pyrrha's eyes followed him down the steps.

"Uhm.. Pyrrha?"

She turned back to see Ruby staring after Jaune as well. "Is Jaune alright?"

Pyrrha forced a smile onto her face. "Of course Ruby. Don't worry."

They both worried.

Jaune clenched the hilt of Crocea Mors, his knuckles turning white. His feet took him up the steps of the stage. He gave Glynda a nod, not noticing Glynda's eyes also following him as he stalked over to his side of the stage.

Across from him was… Who was that?

"Jaune Arc vs. Cardin Winchester." Ah right. Cardin. The boy was big. He was taller than Jaune, looked stronger than Jaune, and had a big-ass mace. Jaune didn't care. This still didn't feel right.

Jaune had been excited about the idea of a nice scrap. But this…

"Remember to stop once your opponent's aura hits the red."

Jaune frowned. What was the point in stopping short?

Cardin shouldered his mace, a smirk on his face. "What's the matter Jauney Boy? Scared?"

Jaune stared at him for a moment, his brow furrowing. "Who are you again?"

Cardin's mouth fell open, before clicking shut. His brow furrowed as well, his jaw clenching.

"Ha! Burn!"

Yang's voice rang out from the crowd, prompting a few giggles as well. Cardin turned red.

Jaune shrugged as he unsheathed his sword, the sheath transitioning into it's shield form. He frowned as he brought the shield up in front of him.

' _This still doesn't feel right.'_

"Begin!"

Jaune was broken out of his thoughts by the sight of Cardin's mace swinging towards his face. The larger boy had grabbed his mace with both hands, a grunt coming from him as he twisted his body violently, sending the head of the mace flying towards Jaune's face.

His shield came up just in time, the mace slamming into the ancient metal. Jaune felt his arm give way, the shield flying back towards his own face. He felt himself fall back onto his back leg, his shield flying out of place.

Still Jaune frowned.

' _Still not right.'_ The burning sensation in his veins had become unbearable. He was so _close_. To what he still did not know.

Cardin's mace came back around, flying forward towards Jaune's face once more. Jaune's shield was still flung back, it wouldn't make it in time. Jaune managed to fall backwards, his graceless fall prompting several snickers from the audience.

The mace whistled past his face, just barely grazing Jaune's nose. His eyes widened.

' _That's it!'_

Jaune rolled backwards, coming back up to his feet. Cardin did not follow. Instead he leaned onto one foot. Idly twirling his mace. A smirk once more settled onto Jaune's face.

Whispers broke out in the crowd. Jaune was already in the yellow. From one blow.

"That can't be right…" Pyrrha whispered as she looked at the screen. Ren frowned as he looked at the screen. Cardin hit hard but he didn't hit that hard. And Jaune hadn't even been really hit. It all pointed to one thing.

Jaune had an incredibly small aura.

"That doesn't make sense…" Pyrrha repeated to herself.

"What doesn't make sense Pyrrha?" Pyrrha did not even look at Ren, as she continued to stare at the screen showing their aura levels.

"I unlocked his aura. I _felt_ his aura. It's big… Much bigger than this…"

Snickers had broken out in the audience. Jokes about Jaune's aura ran rampant.

"Small aura, small soul. What else could be small? Ehehe."

Cardin laughed at the joke from onstage. Nora frowned. She cupped her hands and brought them to her mouth.

"Break his legs Jaune!" Ruby stood up, a similar fire in her eyes. "Yeah! You can do it Jaune!"

The rest of Team JNPR and RWBY followed suit, shouting words of encouragement. Jaune didn't hear any of them.

He knew what was wrong.

That narrow miss with death. That mace could have taken his head clean off without aura. He wanted that. He _**needed**_ that.

He slid his shield off. It hit the ground with a clang, the snickers starting up once again in the audience.

The shield took away from the thrill.

Cardin also snickered. "You giving up ol' Jauney Boy? You scared?"

Jaune dropped his sword, the blade slipping out of his loose grip. His friends continued to yell words of encouragement, more concern tinging their voices.

The sword wouldn't let him get close enough and was too slow.

He reached up, his hands deftly unbuckling his chest plate. It fell to the floor with a hollow clang.

His armor made him too heavy. It slowed him down too much.

"BAAHAHAHAHA!" All eyes turned to Ruby. "IT'S A CUTE LITTLE BUNNY RABBIT!"

The eyes went back to Jaune, where more snickers broke out. Hidden underneath Jaune's armor there was a bunny rabbit emblazoned on his chest. Specifically, Pumpkin Pete, the cereal mascot.

Ruby sank into her seat. She held her face in her hands as she realized what she had just done.

The jeers had reached a fever pitch. People called for Cardin to put Jaune out of his misery. Glynda continued to watch, a tight grip on her riding crop.

"I'd begun to forget."

Cardin tilted his head to side. "What was that Jauney Boy?"

Jaune had not noticed Cardin's words. Nor had he noticed that the jeers from the crowd had fallen silent when he spoke. A heavy weight fell upon the classroom.

"I'd begun to forget that feeling… That feeling of exchanging lives… Those long slow dances with death as you lean into her embrace. That moment preceding the end of your short life..."

Jaune shivered, a grin beginning to stretch his face. His blood began thumping in his ears. The grin felt like it was going to split his face in two.

"Isn't it _great_?"

Jaune's right hand came down onto his thigh, settling on the familiar grip of the hunting knife he had taken from Verdan what seemed like ages ago. He pulled it free with a rasp, holding it loosely by his side.

"It's Mr. Stabby!"

Everyone looked at Ruby, who had blurted out the name of Jaune's knife. She slapped her hands onto her mouth and sank back into her seat as she felt everyone's eyes briefly fall on her.

Jaune hadn't noticed, his eyes had a glazed over look as he seemed to stare through Cardin. That same damnable smile was still on his face, sending shivers down everyone's spine.

"To fight is to live… to die… to struggle… to have _fun!_ Now…"

Jaune stepped forward. Cardin stepped back.

"Let's have some fun!"

Jaune leapt forward … and tripped.

Pyrrha heard someone laugh. Ruby behind her gasped. Everyone in Team JNPR was silent. They had seen that stumble before.

Cardin had not. He let out a roar as he brought his mace down from over hand, intent on slamming it and Jaune into the ground.

Jaune neatly sidestepped the blow, coming out much too quick from that stumble. A feint.

Cardin realized it too late.

Jaune was in close now. He ducked low and slipped both of his arms around Cardin's legs. Beowolves were hard to push back while standing, but the back of their knees were from their bony-white armor and easily folded.

His forearms dug into the backs of Cardin's knees, his legs easily folding at the joint. Jaune lifted up and Cardin fell onto his back.

"Oof!"

Jaune didn't wait for Cardin to settle into his new position on the ground. He climbed over Cardin's legs, a knee and a foot pinning Cardin's arms to the flower. He pressed down deep into the elbow joints of Cardin's arms. Cardin for his part feebly tried to raise his arms, only managing to wave his forearms feebly.

Jaune flipped his knife into a reverse grip before he slammed the point into Cardin's neck. Cardin gagged, his aura managing to stop the blow from driving deep into his neck. His eyes began to bulge, his breath growing quick as he felt the weight of fear settle into his chest.

Jaune frowned.

' _This can't be it.'_

He slammed the knife into Cardin's neck again.

' _He can't be done already. What's he so afraid of? Why doesn't he fight back?!'_

The knife slammed down again.

Cardin began to babble as his aura flashed red before shattering. A warm liquid began to stain his pants and the floor.

' _WHERE. WAS. HIS. DEATH.'_

Jaune saw red. He drove the knife down again.

"JAUNE." Jaune's knife stopped mid-descent. His vision cleared.

Glynda let out a sigh of relief, her riding crop out and a glow beginning to fade from it. He had heard her.

Jaune let out a sigh as he stood up from Cardin's shaking form.

' _That was a disappointment.'_

It was then that Jaune felt many eyes upon him. The classroom was quiet. He looked up and flinched.

The entirety of the classroom's eyes were on him. Eyes full of fear.

The same eyes as the ones Clover and Verdan had looked at him when he had killed his first Grimm in the forest.

The same eyes that Jaune would sure would haunt him once more.

* * *

 **\- Glynda's Office - Day 4**

"HAHAHAHHAHA"

Glynda frowned. Jaune had been laughing for a minute straight. He stumbled out of his seat, still laughing as he made his way towards the door.

He wiped a tear as he held his sides, his laughs finally subsiding.

"I'm… hehehe…. I'm not a hero…" Jaune looked down at the ground, a small smile coming onto his face as he clenched his fist.

"I'll probably never be one either… Goodnight Miss Goodwitch…"

Jaune left without another word. Glynda stared at the closed door he left behind him.

"I hope you're wrong Mr. Arc… I really hope you are…"

* * *

 **A\N: Whew! Turns out fewer adjectives means you need to write more :|. Who knew?**

 **I sort of borrowed Jaune's little speech from Isekai Tensei Soudouki with a bit of modifications. The general idea is the same though.**

 **I hope you all liked this chapter. I struggled with it for a little while, but then I fell into a semi groove and just pounded it out.**

 **See y'all later!**


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